Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 June 2006
113 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the measures he intends to take to boost manufacturing production which showed a 5.3 per cent drop for the period from February to April 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23904/06]
Amharc ar fhreagraQuarterly results need to be interpreted with caution. Quarterly Indices are best compared to performance relative to the corresponding quarter of the previous year rather than relative to the preceding quarter. Furthermore, quarterly indices tend to fluctuate frequently and should more appropriately be viewed in the context of overall annual performance.
The manufacturing sector in Ireland continues to perform strongly, both in terms of increasing turnover (monetary value) and production (volumes of units produced). According to the latest CSO Release — Industrial Production and Turnover (dated 9th June 2006), overall production in 2005 is up 28 percent relative to 2000 in manufacturing industries. While the CSO data indicates that production decreased by 5.3% in the period Feb-April 2006 compared to the period Nov. 2005-Jan. 2006, it should be noted that, on an annual basis, production for manufacturing industries in April 2006 showed an increase of 8.6% over April 2005 with the modern sector, comprising a number of high-technology sectors, showing an annual increase in production to April 2006 of 12.2 percent while an increase of 6.9 per cent was recorded in the Traditional sector.
I am keenly aware of the role played by manufacturing and its continuing importance to the Irish economy. To assist industry maintain competitiveness and increase productivity the economic development agencies are working on an ongoing basis to promote the adoption of new technology and best practice at company level. The agencies aim to support sustainable, high value added enterprise in Ireland through the provision of mentoring and developmental supports, the enhancement of management capabilities and critical workforce skills in client companies, support for the creation and implementation of strategies for market entry, development and growth, and strong supports for innovation and for research and development. The recently concluded social partnership agreement Towards 2016 also recognises the importance of the manufacturing sector with a proposal to establish a high level manufacturing group.
