The publication of comparative statistics for this State and for Northern Ireland is a welcome development that may contribute to the debunking of stereotypes and the creation of greater understanding. For too long, opportunities for trade and co-operation have been neglected because of out-of-date perceptions of the nature and needs of both societies. But this statistical profile of Ireland - North and South - shows a reversal of the traditional image where the South lagged behind in terms of industrial development and in wealth-creating capacity. It also shows converging profiles in terms of family size, educational facilities and health matters. The work of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and of our own Central Statistics Office is to be commended.
The impact of the recent, extraordinarily rapid, industrial growth in the South is the most striking change reflected by the statistics. Agricultural employment continued its sharp decline between 1994 and 1999 and the percentage of the workforce employed on the land fell from 12 to 8.5 per cent in this State. In the North, the fall was from 5.3 to five per cent. By contrast, industrial employment in 1999 absorbed 28.3 per cent of the workforce of the South - surpassing the 26.5 per cent figure for Northern Ireland. A greater dependency by the North on the services sector was reflected through an employment level of 68.5 per cent of the workforce, compared to 62.5 per cent in the South.
A snapshot of relative wealth within the two communities showed that, between 1990 and 1998, the nominal value of GDP per capita doubled in the South, but only increased by a little more than 50 per cent in the North. This surge in southern productivity pushed GDP per head of population to 102 per cent of the European average in 1997, while the corresponding Northern Ireland figure was 82 per cent. The UK figure was also 102 per cent, with Greece producing the lowest EU figure at 66 per cent.
While rapid industrial development has caused nominal wealth and house prices to surge in the South, we still lag significantly behind Northern Ireland in providing local authority housing. House prices in the South increased by more than 90 per cent between 1995 and 1999, making it extremely difficult for young couples to acquire homes. During that time, prices in the North went up by only 21 per cent.
The number of local authority houses built on both sides of the border fell during those five years, in spite of obvious need. But the failure of a local authority building programme in the South was most striking. By 1999, 28 per cent of the population in Northern Ireland was provided with local authority housing, compared to only 10 per cent in the South. Other information in relation to education, health, the labour market, agriculture, fishing, transport and tourism is available in this publication which provides important insights into changing circumstances in both parts of the island.