asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he has seen a statement made at a meeting of Cork Workers' Council, published in a daily newspaper on the 1st December, viz., that Córas Iompair Éireann had placed an order with a London firm for £1,000,000 worth of railway carriages, and if he will state when the order was placed and whether, in view of the fact that the carriages recently manufactured at Inchicore have won the admiration of all passengers, he will take steps to have this order cancelled, and if he has not power to intervene, if he will introduce proposals for legislation to secure this power, so as to safeguard the interests of Irish workers and prevent further emigration.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Order for Railway Carriages.
I am informed that Córas Iompair Éireann has not placed any order for ordinary railway carriages outside the country. The company did, however, place orders for diesel railcars, including bodies, with external firms. According to information supplied by Córas Iompair Éireann, an order was placed for 20 railcars on 14th September, 1950; this was increased to 40 on the 24th May, 1951, and to 60 on the 21st June, 1951. The board states that these were urgently required, that its own railway carriage construction workshops were unable to undertake the work in addition to their normal programme, and that the difficulty of obtaining adequate supplies of the necessary materials was a further important consideration. I have already arranged that Córas Iompair Éireann should plan to do, in its own workshops, all the body building work on a normal programme of railcar construction, and I understand that the steps necessary are now under consideration by the board.