asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether, in view of the very serious unemployment prevailing in Cobh and the surrounding districts caused by the recent discharge of a considerable number of shipyard workers due to lack of work from the Rushbrooke (Cobh) dockyard, he will issue instructions to have some ships transferred thereto from the Dublin dockyard where according to reports received there is a considerable amount of work on hands and with which the Dublin dockyard cannot cope.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment at Rushbrooke Dockyard.
I have no power to issue instructions in the sense suggested by the Deputy. I understand that there are no grounds for the statement in the final part of the question.
Is the Minister aware that at present the Liffey dockyard are endeavouring to grab the repairs of the Greek ship which has been discharged in Cork and which it had been arranged to repair at Rushbrooke docks until the strike took place and is he further aware that the trade unions in Cork are going to look upon this as diverted traffic due to the strike if it is being repaired in the Liffey dockyard?
Is it not correct that a tender for the ship to which Deputy McGrath refers was secured by the Liffey dockyard because they tendered at a price under the Rushbrooke dockyard, and the contract was not affected by any strike? Secondly may I point out, with all due respect to Cork Deputies, that at the moment 30 men have been paid off in the Liffey dockyard and there is one boat in for repairs.
My explanation was that arrangements were made to have that ship repaired in Rushbrooke without any tender and that that would have taken place only that the strike took place.
Mr. A. Byrne
Will the Minister endeavour to get a supply of steel to prevent ships going across the water for repairs?
As the Deputy responsible for putting down the question, may I say that it does not seem to me to be unfair? The only ships proceeding to Rushbrooke dockyard are ships belonging to Irish Shipping.
No. The great majority of the ships repaired there were foreign ships on tenders secured in open competition with the rest of the world.
Perhaps the Minister would repeat his reply.
The Deputy has started an argument by reason of the false information which he has received and to which he referred in his question. He assumed that there was a surplus of ship repair work in Dublin. There is no foundation for that. The ship repairs there fluctuate in accordance with the trade available and work is secured in competition with shipyards in any part of the world.