asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism (a) the number of job losses in industrial employment and (b) the number of jobs created in the industrial sector in (i) 1979 and (ii) to date in 1980, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I take it that the Deputy's question refers to employment in manufacturing industry.

(a) Manufacturing firms are not obliged to notify me of job losses and there are no official statistics available. The only relevant statistics available are those for proposed redundancies in manufacturing industries as notified to the Department of Labour; in 1979 the total was 4,313 and, in the first quarter of 1980, 1,479.

(b) The IDA's 1980 employment survey indicates that 16,200 new first-time jobs were created in IDA grant-assisted projects in 1979. These surveys are carried out on an annual basis and accordingly no information is yet available in respect of 1980. It also shows that in 1979, after taking account of job losses and job gains, there was a net increase in manufacturing employment of 8,730.

Of the 16,000 jobs created how many were jobs on the ground?

They are all jobs on the ground, not job approvals. Job approvals amounted to about 35,000 and the net gain was 8,730.

10.