asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether any State grants or loans, through An Foras Tionscal or otherwise, were paid to Kingdom Tubes, Ltd., Tralee, County Kerry; and, if so, whether he will give details of any such grants or loans.
46.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Tralee Factory.
45.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the number of Irish workers trained for work in Kingdom Tubes, Ltd., Tralee, County Kerry; whether the State made any contribution towards the cost of their training; and, if so, how much this contribution was.
47.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether in view of his statement of 5th June that Kingdom Tubes, Ltd., Tralee, County Kerry, had to lay off some of their workers owing to lack of export orders Córas Tráchtála have made any investigation of possible export markets for products of the type produced by Kingdom Tubes; and, if so, what the results of such investigation have been.
I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 45, 46 and 47 together.
No technical assistance grant for the employment of industrial consultants has been given to Kingdom Tubes, Ltd. nor has any guarantee been given to the firm under the Trade Loans (Guarantee) Acts.
An Foras Tionscal is the only organisation outside my Department for which I have responsibility and which may provide financial assistance for the establishment or development of industry. It is not the practice to disclose details of grants approved by An Foras Tionscal in advance of publication of this information in the annual reports which that body is required to submit to me and which are duly laid before each House of the Oireachtas. It is hoped that it will be possible to have the report for the year ended 31st March, 1962, available for presentation to the Dáil by the end of this month. I should say, however, that An Foras Tionscal do not give in their report detailed information about grants to individual firms for the training of workers.
The information sought in Question No. 47 relates to the day to day activities of Córas Tráchtála and is a matter on which enquiry should be made direct to that body.