Vol. 444 No. 6
117 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the reason Ireland's number of research and technology development personnel has been identified as 2.6 per 1,000 employees in businesses as against an EU average of six; the comparable figures ten years ago; and his target figures for achievement during the current EU Community Support Framework for Ireland.
I assume that the question refers to "Business R & D personnel per thousand of the labour force", which is the only internationally comparable data available in this area. The term "labour force" includes both those employed and those not at work but seeking employment.
The most recent figures available are for 1990 and show that in Ireland the number of business R & D personnel per 1,000 of the labour force was 2.31, compared to the European average of 5.4.
The 1991 figure for Ireland had increased to three business R & D personnel per 1,000 of the labour force, but no comparable EU figure is available as yet. The earliest available figure is in respect of 1983: 1.19 per 1,000 of the labour force, although unfortunately no EU average figure is available for that year.
The fact that the most recent comparison shows that Ireland lags behind European average is, I believe, a reflection of the relatively low Irish spend on R & D compared to our European competitors. The most recent OECD figures available — for 1992 — show that Ireland's gross expenditure on R & D amounted to 1.1 per cent of GDP, while the EU average was 1.89 per cent.
