Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 14 Dec 1966

Vol. 226 No. 4

Committee on Finance. - Export Promotion (Amendment) Bill, 1966: Committee and Final Stages.

Sections 1 to 4, inclusive, agreed to.

SECTION 5.

Question proposed: "That section 5 stand part of the Bill."

Mr. Dillon

I should like to ask the Minister a question on this section. It does not relate to the strict text of the Bill. Our concern under section 5 is to promote, assist and develop Irish industrial design and the improvement of the standard thereof, which is a very laudable and admirable purpose. I do not know if the Minister's attention has been drawn to the imports into this country of objects manufactured in foreign countries which are of very doubtful aesthetic value and which are labelled in Irish, stating that they are manufactured in a foreign country. Inasmuch as the inscription declaring their place of manufacture is in the Irish language, I think the inscription is in fact designed to suggest to the casual purchaser that the article is of Irish manufacture.

The main purpose of this section is to raise the general standard of Irish design and doubtless to associate Irish exports with the general impression of excellence, which I think is perfectly right. Our hopes in the markets of the world must be based on excellence rather than on the prospects of mass production. I have the feeling that the circulation of objects of the kind to which I have referred interferes with the objectives we have in view in this Bill. I should be interested to hear from the Minister if that aspect of the question has ever presented itself to his mind and, if so, whether he feels it would be appropriate, in connection with this Bill, to consider what, if any, steps we could take to offset any damage which this kind of trade transaction might do.

Minister for Industry and Commerce (Mr. Colley)

I am aware of the abuse —I think that is the right word—to which Deputy Dillon referred. It applies primarily, I think, in the field of souvenirs but not exclusively to souvenirs, and I regard it as an abuse. There is no doubt, particularly in the case of souvenirs which are bought largely by tourists who may be assumed to have no knowledge of the Irish language, that the inscription in the Irish language may very well not be as informative as it was originally intended to be. However, this is a matter which arises, I think, under the Merchandise Marks Act rather than under this Bill. It is a matter of which I am aware and one which I am considering, to see what steps we can take to combat it under the Merchandise Marks Act and also under a general programme in regard to consumer protection on which we are embarking. I do not think it would be appropriate to try to deal with it under this Bill.

This section is designed to enable Córas Tráchtála to continue and to expand its work in connection with the Kilkenny Design Workshops which have already proved, in my opinion, to be of very great worth and will in my opinion in the future turn out to be one of the most important developments which have taken place in this country for many years in the field of encouraging industry, particularly small industry, in rural areas. The section is particularly designed to deal with that. The matter to which Deputy Dillon refers is, I think, more appropriate to be dealt with under the Merchandise Marks Act.

Question put and agreed to.

Section 6 agreed to.

Bill reported without amendment.

Agreed to take remaining Stages today.

Bill received for final consideration.

Question proposed: "That the Bill do now pass."

Mr. Dillon

With the Bill now in its present form and about to pass, I should like to ask the Minister this question. Suppose a person here is working with some particular material —I do not want to be more specific than that—and has reached the limit of his own ingenuity in design, can he go to some division of Córas Tráchtála with the material in which he is working and say: "There are the things I have worked out as being desirable products of this material. Can you suggest to me any further uses to which I can put this material or are you prepared to help me to test the market with new designs suggested by you because, quite frankly, I am quite prepared to trust your judgment, or at least to give it a run, but I cannot afford to do it at my own expense?" What happens then if that application is made?

Mr. Colley

I should perhaps explain that at present the kind of situation which Deputy Dillon visualises is one in which the inquiry should be put to Kilkenny Design Workshops, which is a subsidiary of Córas Tráchtála. At present, Kilkenny Design Workshops are working in the following fields: woven textiles, printed textiles, poplin weaving, candles, wood-turning, pottery and silverware. These are their present fields of activity but that is by no means the end of the road. They will expand into other fields.

In regard to the question of coming to them and asking them to assist with designs in a particular kind of material, I think the position is that they will be very willing to do anything they can in providing help with designs. Furthermore, in regard to the question of expenses involved in trying these out, they will assist in that, too, and Córas Tráchtála have power to give grants which would assist in this regard in testing the market. I should say that already there have been some very successful ventures arising out of the use of Kilkenny Design Workshops, not at this stage on a very large scale, for reasons which I will explain in a moment.

There have been several crafts which have almost died out in this country and they have died out because the craftsmen were using designs which were poor imitations usually of old-fashioned English designs and they were trying to compete with mass-produced articles with rather poor designs. In some of these cases, Kilkenny Design Workshops have produced designs which are based on traditional Irish designs but are modern and suited to modern requirements and have given these to some of the remaining craftsmen in these fields and have found that the market for their goods is vast, that the price available for them is far superior to that available for the poor quality article being produced in the past and that the problem is to get enough of these things produced, and, indeed, they are assisting in every way they can to get more craftsmen trained in these fields.

I mention this merely as an example of the kind of thing they have been doing and it is the kind of thing of which I have great hopes that on expanding their activities—and they will be expanding their activities—they can make a considerable difference. As I say, particularly in rural Ireland, where you may get in a small village one craftsman working at the moment, with this kind of assistance both with design and in marketing he may very well, within a short time, be employing a number of people. This, of course, can be of very great importance in a small rural area. It is for that reason that I say that I have great hopes of Kilkenny Design Workshops and their impact on rural Ireland in future, judging by the success which has attended their efforts heretofore.

Mr. Dillon

I should like to ask the Minister a question.

An Ceann Comhairle

Will the Deputy put it by way of question? This is the Fifth Stage.

Mr. Dillon

I have made a speech; the Minister has made a reply. I now want to ask a question. I have been doing that for 30 years. The question I want to ask is this: May I assume, then, that if some well-intentioned citizen sees some native material being used in a very limited sphere, Córas Tráchtála would welcome their attention being directed to this material so that they might take the initiative in approaching an unimaginative monopolist of that material and saying to him: "Why do you not branch out with Kilkenny Design Workshops to widen the scope of your business?"

Mr. Colley

Yes, this is so and, indeed, in case I have given a wrong impression of their activities, I should also say that they provide designs for larger manufacturers than the kind I have been talking about heretofore—in textiles, for instance—certain types of textile goods. They have provided these designs for the manufacturers and the manufacturers have sold them —I know of one case in particular—on the American market very successfully, the tie-up between Kilkenny Design Workshops and Córas Tráchtála enabling them to advise on the requirements of different markets in different parts of the world.

Question put and agreed to.