asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism the number of new jobs provided in Ireland since 1977; the estimated number of these jobs provided in companies directly controlled by, or subsidiaries of, foreign firms; and the estimated percentage of the work force currently employed in such firms.

I take it that the Deputy's question refers to employment in manufacturing industry. The number of new, first-time jobs created in manufacturing industry in IDA-assisted projects in the three-year period 1977-1979 is estimated at 42,000.

I have no information as to the proportion of these new jobs provided by foreign-owned or foreign-controlled companies. However, the pattern of recent IDA job approvals suggests that about 60 per cent of new job approvals are in foreign-owned enterprises; and, if this percentage is applied to the 42,000 new jobs created since 1977, it would suggest that about 25,000 of these are in foreign-owned firms, representing about 11.4 per cent of total manufacturing employment at end 1978.

Is the Minister happy with the situation in which over half of recently created manufacturing employment is in the hands of foreign enterprises?

It has always been the policy of this Government and other Governments here to encourage foreign investment. What I am very happy about is that the level and percentage of domestically provided jobs is rising at the rapid rate we now see.