asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state what proposals have been put forward by C.I.E. for the manufacture, in this country, of component parts and equipment for diesel rail cars.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Diesel Car Parts.
I have not received proposals from C.I.E. for the manufacture of component parts and equipment for diesel rail cars.
Is the Minister aware that there is widespread concern in the railway workshops because C.I.E. is importing parts for rail cars which could be readily manufactured in the C.I.E. engineering shops and that if the present course is pursued the heavy engineering parts necessary will not be available not only to C.I.E. but to others concerned?
This fact has been brought to the notice of C.I.E. and I have no doubt the company is giving it the necessary consideration. What I was asked in the question was what proposals C.I.E. had for the manufacture of component parts and my answer to that was that I had not received any proposal yet. It may, of course, come along later.
Did the Minister not tell Deputy Larkin that he approved of the sale of the equipment for the making of chassis?
That has nothing to do with the question.
It has. It was a heavy engineering works.
The Deputy does not know the difference between a chassis and a rail car. Is the reason why the Minister has not received a reply from C.I.E. that they have not yet formulated a proposal?
So far C.I.E. have submitted no proposals on the matter. It may well be they intend to do so and if these parts can be manufactured in their Inchicore works I would personally urge the company to have them manufactured there. So far, however, I have no information on that matter.
You should have urged them to make chassis when they had the equipment.
There was a question of the disposal of the locomotives Deputy Lemass ordered which had to be scrapped.
They were sold for pounds.
They had to be scrapped or converted.
Order! order!