asked the Minister for Lands whether he is aware that instructions have been sent in his name to instructresses in charge of various Gaeltacht industries that their services will not be required after the 14th February, that they will only be paid up to and including that date, that the industry centres should be locked up and the keys forwarded to Dublin; and if he will state whether it is on his instructions such orders have been given and, if so, if he will state the nature and location of each industry which it is intended thus to close down, the number of instructresses or instructors and the number of workers in each case who will thus be disemployed; the average number of workers employed in the years 1931 and 1934 and the net cost to the State of maintaining these industries in the year 1931-32 and 1933-34 and the estimated cost for the year 1934-35; and if he will state what is the reason in each case for closing down the industry and what alternative steps he proposes to take to provide employment in the neighbourhood.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Gaeltacht Industries Instructresses.
The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The industry in each case is that of circular machine knitting, the locations and average number of workers employed in 1931 and 1934, respectively, being as follows:—
|
Average number of parttime workers: |
||
|
1931 |
1934 |
|
|
Adrigole, Co. Cork |
10 |
8 |
|
Cape Clear, Co. Cork |
— |
8 |
|
Maharees, Co. Kerry |
10 |
8 |
|
Brandon, Co. Kerry |
— |
8 |
|
Ventry, Co. Kerry |
— |
8 |
|
Inishere, Co. Galway |
10 |
8 |
|
Tory Island, Co. Donegal |
— |
7 |
|
Glangevlin, Co. Cavan |
— |
8 |
The closing down of the centres necessitates dispensing with the services of one instructress in each case, and workers will be disemployed to the extent of the very limited amount of orders which it might be possible to send them from time to time if the centres were retained. The accountancy system originally installed did not operate to give the net cost to the State of each individual centre and the information required in this respect could not be supplied without undue expenditure of time and labour. This, in common with the whole organisation of the centres, is at present being recast. In each case the reason for closing down the centre arises from a lack of orders for the type of work done. The question of devising alternative means of providing employment in the districts affected is receiving consideration.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary realise that in places like Cape Clear, Tory Island, Arranmore Island, off Donegal, which are important centres of the Irish language, this action takes away a certain amount of technical training, a certain amount of occupation, and a certain amount of income from homes that are purely Irish-speaking and which are in very concentrated Irish-speaking districts? Would the Parliamentary Secretary not withhold closing down these industries until such time as he is able to say what exactly he is going to replace them with, or what assistance he is going to give them? Would the Parliamentary Secretary also say whether in fact some of the tweed industries have not been shut down? Have not some of the Round Tower tweed centres been shut down in the Irish-speaking districts? Will he say what is going to replace that particular type of activity and what organisation is going to replace the organisation which dealt with them up to the present?
All the points raised by the Deputy were considered by the Minister before he took action. In the meantime, the whole business of the industry is being reorganised.
In the meantime there is taken away from concentrated Irish-speaking centres a certain amount of occupation, a certain amount of technical training, and a certain amount of money that was going into them. Does the Parliamentary Secretary realise that the Technical School Committee in Galway is pressing the Minister for additional finance in order to give technical training in some of the areas where the Irish language still exists? Would the Minister reconsider keeping some of these centres, at any rate these island centres, open?