asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will amend mining lease regulations in order to include inter alia (a) requirements relating to the reinvestment of profits in Ireland (b) provision for periodic negotiation of leases.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mining Lease Regulations.
61.
As I have already informed the House, I am having a number of aspects of the existing mining policy examined. In the light of this examination, I will consider the type of leasing requirements best suited to secure maximum benefit to the State from the development of State minerals.
Does the Minister's reply arise from the recommendations made by the inter-departmental committee?
In part, but not entirely.
Would the Minister's experience to date suggest that in the matter of the regulations in terms of leases a certain flexibility should be contained in them?
I think it is fair to say that some of these leases are of considerable age and were written in very different circumstances. The circumstances currently known to exist require a tightening and not an increase of flexibility.
If the Minister were to say that tightening was to the advantage of the Irish people I would be delighted with it. Could it not be shown in respect of some of the existing licences that, if certain flexibility obtained, they could have been operated more to the advantage of the Irish people.
The Deputy can be assured that my concern is, as I understand his is, to obtain the maximum advantage for the Irish people in this context.
Arising from the supplementary reply which the Minister gave a few moments ago to my supplementary as to whether his requirements in relation to leases are in line with the recommendations made by the inter-departmental committee, he said some are and some are not——
I do not accept the Deputy's gloss on what I said.
I gathered from the Minister's reply that he indicated that he was going some of the way with the recommendations and was accepting some of the recommendations which had been made. Does that mean that there are certain recommendations which he does not accept or that he, as Minister, goes further.
That is clearly a separate question.
We will have further opportunities for discussing this in the fairly near future.