asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the amount of money contributed by the owners of a firm (name supplied) in Longford and the proportion of this amount represented by grants from the IDA.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Longford Firm.
57.
I am advised by the IDA that they have always regarded information of the kind sought by the Deputy as confidential and that it has not been released unless in cases where the firms concerned released it. In the circumstances I feel precluded from giving the information sought.
It is a dreadful state of affairs that public money granted to a company in receivership should not be publicised. It is disgraceful that it is not made public. The public have a right to know what proportion of the amount contributed was public money. They have a right to know also what proportion of the money was contributed by the firm. The Minister says the information is confidential. This is a company in receivership at the moment. Public money is involved, not money belonging to the Minister or the IDA.
Obviously, the Deputy asked the wrong question. Last week I gave the amount of money and this refers to the amount of money which the firm put into their business.
I am asking to be told the proportion of money——
The Deputy is aware of the money contributed.
We have a right to know the proportion of the money contributed by the firm in question.
I indicated last week the proportion together with the amount of money paid by way of grant. Anybody, even the Deputy, would be able to do the sum and find out how much the company have invested.
Why then is the Minister concealing the figure? The Minister said the information is confidential. If he gave the figure last week, he is contradicting himself.
If I gave the figure, which I do not intend giving again, the information the Deputy wants should be apparent.