asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state, in respect of employees of the Lough Swilly Railway Company, (a) the number who became redundant since the closing of the railway, (b) the amount of compensation paid, or to be paid, to them, (c) the average number of years' service of each, (d) the sum allowed towards compensation of redundant staff on the sale of the Letterkenny section by the Office of Public Works to the company, and (e) the number of staff who became redundant on that section.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Lough Swilly Railway.
I assume that the question relates to the Buncrana-Bridge End and Tooban Junction-Letterkenny lines on which train services were terminated in 1953.
(a) Thirteen men have become redundant since these lines were closed. A number of men are still in the employment of the company and will become redundant later.
(b) Annual sums totalling £350 per annum are paid to seven men who had five years' service or more on the railway; gratuities totalling £703 have been paid to six men who had less than five years' service.
(c) The average length of service of the men already redundant was nine years.
(d) The sum allowed towards compensation of redundant staff on the sale of the Letterkenny section was £9,150.
(e) Seven workers have already become redundant on the Letterkenny section, while a further five still in employment will become redundant later.
It has not been possible within the time available to confirm all of the foregoing information with the company. I will communicate with the Deputy in the course of the next few days, if any amendment is necessary.
There are two questions I want to ask, arising out of the Minister's reply. The first is in respect of the men who will at a later date become redundant. Is the Minister aware that, after 8th August next, any men who become redundant will not, under the terms of one of the Railway Acts, be entitled to any payment? Is that not a serious matter, so far as these men are concerned? The second question is in respect of the amount of compensation. In the Letterkenny area, a sum of £13,000 was deducted from the price paid so that these men could be compensated and I understand from the Minister's reply that only £9,000 has been used. What will become of the remainder?
The Deputy will appreciate, first, that he has not given the required period of notice in respect of this question, but, to convenience the Deputy, I made special efforts to give him all the information he asked for in the question. He has now raised two new questions, neither of which was put in this question. If the Deputy wants information on these two points, I will endeavour to have it supplied to him, but it will have to be done by letter. I have already answered the question which, as I say, did not comply with the normal period of notice. However, I will still endeavour to get the Deputy the information he asks for. I could have got it for him if he had embodied what he now asks in the question which he submitted.
This is a matter on which I do not want to score any points. It is something which is really important and this was the last week available to me before the expiry of the two years' statutory period. There is is something there which I should like the Minister to look into. He has stated in his reply that a number of these men will become redundant, but the important point is whether they become redundant before or after 8th August.
I will have the matter specially examined.