asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the total grants and loans allocated to the Potez factory at Baldonnel, County Dublin.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Potez Baldonnel Factory.
24.
A grant of £463,000 was approved by An Foras Tionscal of which £405,000 has been paid to date. Taiscí Stáit have to date invested £569,000 in Aviation Development Ltd., the development company associated with Potez Aerospace Ltd. There has been no State loan for this project.
25.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce when it is hoped that the Potez factory at Baldonnel, County Dublin will be in full production.
I intimated in reply to a question on 29th April last that production of certain parts had commenced. These parts included ailerons and flaps and I understand that the manufacture of wings is now commencing.
The development of the necessary skills and the build-up of production in a major industry such as this which is completely new to the country must necessarily be very gradual and it would not be possible at this stage to indicate when full production will be reached.
Would it be fair to ask the Minister the source of his information in relation to this industry? Did it come from the directors of the industry or from local management level? It is a very serious situation and calls for a meeting between the Minister and the directors of this company or between the Industrial Development Authority and the directors.
My information is through the Industrial Development Authority who contacted Potez Limited.
I am afraid it is unreliable information and I would ask the Minister to take a serious look at the industry.
I should like to ask if it is true that an industry to which £1 million has been granted or given on loan from Government sources has been given this money without naming a date at which full production and full employment would ensue, because the Minister tells us he does not know when there will be full production. Surely if an industry is given £1 million, one would expect to get the date on which there would be full production and full employment? Is it not the end product we want, that is, full employment?
I do not think you could tie down promoters to that type of condition when giving grants.
If I were asking for a grant, I would be tied down.
They are also investing very heavily in industry and you must have a balance if these people are coming to the country and not prescribe conditions which will discourage them.
I do not want the Minister to suggest that we on this side want to create difficult conditions for anybody setting up industry here but I should have thought that in the case of normal application for such grants and loans, the information I have asked for would be readily available.
The Deputy is aware that at least some of the delay has been due to a difference of opinion with the local authority about effluent. These are things which happen but I cannot see any firm making a heavy investment and then trying to delay production on purpose.
Could the Minister tell us what the company's investment in the project is?
It is not usual to give that type of information but it is at least as much as the State's.
Does the Minister not agree that mentioning an effluent and relating that to the position is rather ridiculous?
I was not so relating it; I was explaining that unforeseen difficulties had arisen. The Deputy should appreciate that an industrialist invest appreciate that an industrialist investing a large amount of capital would not purposely delay production.
That is fully agreed.