Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 35: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which an audit has been done of the total employment throughout the transport and tourism sectors with particular reference to the potential to absorb into the sector a greater proportion of those currently long-term unemployed; the extent to which he can or will engage with the relevant, interested parties, such as the stakeholders, with a view to maximisation of the economic impact of the sectors for which he has ministerial responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33384/11]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not directly audit the employment in the transport and tourism sectors but does keep under review the statistics which are available. According to the most recent CSO Quarterly National Household Survey, the numbers employed in the "transportation and storage" sector stood at around 95,000 in Quarter 2 of 2011. An estimate of all jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry based on the Fáilte Ireland survey of businesses indicates total employment in the sector at approximately 180,000.

The Government's plans as set out in the programme for Government place a heavy emphasis on tourism as one of the key areas for the generation of employment and on the delivery of effective transport services. I have also outlined my own priorities to 2016 for the transport, tourism and sport sectors on my Department's website. The tourism sector was the subject of specifically targeted measures in the Government's Jobs Initiative. In addition, just last week I announced more than €6.6 million in tourism capital funding for nine projects.

Transport demand is primarily derived from the outputs of other economic sectors. One would expect increases in demand and employment within the transport sector to result from increased economic outputs generally.

My Department has consulted recently with all stakeholders in the transport, tourism and sport areas in the context of the preparation of a new statement of strategy. The views expressed by stakeholders have helped to formulate the proposed strategies which I will be publishing by the end of the year.