asked the Minister for Supplies if, having regard to the threatened closing down of the Dublin United Tramways Company's workshops at Inchicore and the consequent disemployment of a further batch of skilled and unskilled workers, he is in a position to state what progress has been made towards obtaining supplies of bus materials; and if, having regard to the fact that several hundred members of various trades have been discharged during the past few months owing to the shortage of materials referred to, he can state what prospects there are of the re-employment of these workers.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Supplies of Bus Materials.
The position as regards the supplies needed by the Dublin United Tramways Company for their 'bus building programme has been receiving the attention of my Department for some time past. The Deputy will, no doubt, appreciate the very serious difficulty in the way of getting supplies of this kind in the present circumstances. I regret it is impossible for me to give any assurance in the matter or to express an opinion as to the prospects of the workers in the Inchicore workshops being re-employed, but every effort is being, and will be made to assist the Company in getting their requirement of imported materials.
Would the Minister say if there is any material available at the present time at the North Wall, and is he in a position to say if there is any reason, other than that of the materials, for the discharge of those men?
I am afraid I cannot answer that question.
I quite appreciate that.
I am not aware of any materials being available at the North Wall, nor do I know of any other reason for the suspension of the bus-building programme of the tramway company.
May I ask the Minister if he has considered the desirability, in view of the difficulty of the supply of material and the prospective difficulty of the supply of fuel for buses, of representing to the tramway company that it might be desirable to postpone for the present the completion of the change-over from trams to buses, and of restoring a number of trams, which depend on Shannon current, to the lines off which they have been taken in recent months?
That aspect of the matter has been fully considered. There are many arguments for both courses. We decided that the arguments were in favour of permitting the change-over to take place.
Will the Minister, while admitting that the matter has been considered and a decision taken, see that the tram lines and overhead wires are not removed for the present, so that if some new contingency should arise the alternative of returning to the trams will still be open?
I gather that in some cases the tram lines and overhead wires are not in a good state of repair and probably would have to be renewed in any event which, of course, is one of the difficulties of maintaining the tramway system.
The Minister will consider the matter of preserving trams on perhaps a few of the lines, even if they are to disappear altogether on other lines.
The Deputy will also remember the greater mobility of the buses.
I agree that in normal times the advantage is with the buses.