Vol. 249 No. 5
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the number of Irish industrial enterprises which have been acquired by foreign firms within the past five years; the total employment in these enterprises; the capitalisation of these enterprises; the breakdown of these enterprises by sector of industry; and the nationality of the acquiring firms.
26.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will set up a commission with sufficiently wide terms of reference to investigate the ownership of industry in Ireland today and to what extent the safety and security of jobs in Irish factories is controlled by foreign interests.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 and 26 together.
I regret that the information requested in the Deputy's first question is not readily available.
The various aspects of foreign participation in Irish industry are already kept under constant review in my Department and I am doubtful about the purpose which a commission would serve. It has been Government policy for a long time to encourage such participation for the purpose of ensuring not only job security but an increasing number of jobs for our people.
Is the Minister seriously suggesting that a major Government Department, headed by a senior Minister, relatively speaking, has no information available as to the number of Irish industrial enterprises acquired by foreign firms over the past five years? Even the most ineffective, incompetent banana Republic in Latin America would have that information.
It probably would not have so many industries. There are about 6,000 registered industrial companies. Obtaining the information requested by the Deputy would involve a detailed scrutiny of the files of all these companies. This task would take an inordinate amount of time and the information obtained would not present the full picture because shares can be held by Irish nominees for foreign interests.
I would suggest to the Minister that it is possible to put on four or five foolscap sheets the major industrial——
That is not a supplementary question.
——enterprises and it should be possible to keep some form of surveillance over the activities of these industries.
Is is not a fact that there is no adequate machinery here to supervise this form of activity and the only occasion on which the Government showed any interest in the matter was when Mr. Lemass's directorship was in danger some weeks ago?
That supplementary question is so ridiculous it does not warrant an answer.
It is not half as ridiculous as some of the Ministerial replies.
