asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the amount of public money expended to date on the development and mining of the Slievardagh coalfields, distinguishing between (a) grants, and (b) loans; and if he will state the monthly output of coal from these mines from the commencement of operations to the latest date for which the figures are available.
Ceisteanna.—Questions. Oral Answers. - Slivardagh Coal Fields.
Up to 30th September, 1942, the Slievardagh Coalfield Company had obtained from public funds the sum of £40,209 15s. 2d., made up as follows:—
£33 15s. 2d.—a loan under Section 7 of the Slievardagh Coalfield Development Act, 1941, to pay the expenses of forming the company.
£40,176—repayable advances under Section 9 of the Act for the general purposes of the company.
No non-repayable grants have, as yet, been made to the company.
The company has not emerged from the development stage and coal is not yet being raised on a commercial scale. From temporary working faces, however, some coal has been raised continuously since the month of February. For the months of February to June inclusive the output from these working faces was approximately 200 tons per month. From July onwards the monthly output has been at the rate of 250 tons per month, and is likely to remain at this figure until the main drift now in the course of construction has been completed. It is expected that the construction of the main drift will be completed on a date in the month of November.