In moving to report progress last night, I had not quite completed the references I intended to make to An Foras Tionscal. I was suggesting to the House that the autonomy of An Foras Tionscal in the matter of grants for new industries or expansions of existing ones is something we ought to safeguard. While I, as Minister for Industry and Commerce, or any other Minister would not like to escape his ultimate responsibility, the system we have is a good one whereby applications for grants can be thoroughly and objectively examined and only the good proposals, the ones likely to last, as is a necessary requirement under the statute, will be assisted by way of grants.
Another aspect of the administration of the affairs of An Foras Tionscal I should like to refer to particularly, having regard to the observations made in the course of the debate, is the location of industries. I want to repeat what I have said more than once in this House and outside that An Foras Tionscal do not, in any way, try to influence an industrialist to locate his undertaking in any particular place. When an industrialist makes an application for a grant, generally speaking, he already has the location in mind. An Foras Tionscal, if he has not got a location in mind, can do no more than give him information that is available to them regarding the amenities of various towns and districts
throughout the country. They take the greatest possible care to ensure that the ultimate selection of location is a matter for the industrialist himself. If only for the sake of their own self-preservation, it is a good standard to apply, because the time could come when, by reason of location, an industry might get into difficulties and, in that event, An Foras Tionscal could not be held responsible or taken to task in any way for the location of the industry in that particular place.
I should like to impress on the House that the Minister for Industry and Commerce in no way influences an industrialist as to the location of his undertaking. As I have repeatedly told deputations, who came to me from particular places, the Industrial Development Authority is a body mainly charged with the encouragement of outside industrialists to set up here or the encouragement of our own people to set up new industries or expand their existing ones. The Industrial Development Authority is supplied, generally, with a list of the locations where it is felt a factory would be an advantage to the district. Most development committees have already supplied to the Industrial Development Authority full particulars of the amenities and promise that their respective locations have for new industries.
There is no truth in the suggestions made here yesterday that an attempt is made to remove a proposed industry from one area to another. No attempt is made to influence an industrialist away from a particular location. On the contrary, Foras Tionscal do their utmost to influence an industrialist to adhere to the particular location and influence him not to change his mind. But they will not influence him to the extent of requiring him to set up in a particular locality. I hope I can convince the House that there is no truth in the suggestion that the Industrial Development Authority, An Foras Tionscal or the Department of Industry and Commerce ever influenced an industrialist away from a particular location.