asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the tonnage of ore treated at the lead, zinc and silver mines at Tynagh, County Galway, in 1967 and 1968; and the royalties paid to the State for each of these years.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Tynagh Mines Output.
59.
The company operating at Tynagh is a private concern, and I am precluded from giving information of this kind except to the extent to which it is published by the company itself.
In its annual reports, the company has indicated that the tonnage of ore treated in the year ended 31st December, 1967, was 703,511 tons, from which was recovered a total of 190,985 tons of metal concentrates; and that the tonnage of ore treated in the year ended 31st December, 1968 was 709,913 tons, which yielded a total of 181,950 tons of metal concentrates.
As regards royalties I cannot, for the reason stated, give information about the Tynagh company in particular. All I can say is that total receipts from all sources, including royalties, under the Minerals Development Acts for the year ended 31st December, 1967, amounted to £163,191, and that receipts for the year ended 31st December, 1968 amounted to £200,867. There may be some adjustment to these figures when profits are finally assessed by the Revenue Commissioners.
Does the Minister not consider it in the public interest that the royalties paid by companies to the State should, in fact, be the property, if necessary, of this House? I am referring to the aggregate of £163,000 in total royalties from all companies. I am also conscious that the company I referred to succeeded in the past three years in having an aggregate repayment of their total cost of something in the region of 14 million Canadian dollars and so on. Does the Minister not agree that £163,000 from all companies is indeed a rather sparse return royaltywise for the concessions given by the State to such companies?
If, of course, the only return to the State were in the way of royalties I would agree with the Deputy that it would be a sparse return but the Deputy will be aware, and if he is not he will be told by the people in the Tynagh area, that the return is very much greater than in the way of royalties.
Hear, hear.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.