asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware that prefabricated steel for the new nitrogen factory in Cork has been ordered from Austria and that steel for the storage sheds has been ordered from Wales; and if, in view of the fact that Irish firms could supply this steel, he will request that these orders be channelled to Irish firms.
Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Prefabricated Steel.
14.
There are two new nitrogen factory projects for which Cork is the location: one is the State-owned NET ammonia/urea project and the other a private project for the production of ammonia, urea and compound fertilisers.
As far as the NET project is concerned contracts for the construction and equipping of the factory have not yet been placed. I would expect that when they are being placed, provision would be made for the use of Irish products and materials as far as possible.
It has been reported in a trade publication that certain main contracts in connection with the private project have been placed abroad. At least one order, however, has been placed for Irish steel for the project.
I cannot intervene in the placing of orders by firms or request them to cancel, in favour of Irish firms, orders already placed abroad.
I was interested in the NET factory. It is reported——
A question, please.
——in the trade that those contracts are going out. Would the Minister ensure that Irish firms will be allowed to tender for and get those contracts? I know of one Irish firm which is particularly interested in getting a chance to tender and is able to do the work.
The Deputy has the key to the problem in the last sentence. If you have a very complex production plant it has to be supplied from a particular place. With the one exception of very difficult and complex things that cannot be got here, NET have been instructed—and they are perfectly happy with the instruction—to write a clause into the contract with the main contractor building the plant that, where appropriate, the contractor must use Irish materials in the construction of the plant.
Not only must it be Irish materials, but also Irish firms.
I think that "where appropriate" is the answer. We are talking about very complex chemical plants. There are only three or four people in the world in contention, none of them Irish. I would expect companies trying to get the best technology there is to take account of the fact that there are only four or five of those people in the whole world, and none of them would be here.
Is the Minister aware that the term "where appropriate" is a beautiful exclusion clause? The Minister uses those words as being a directive to NET to use Irish produce but, in fact, "where appropriate" is a beautiful smokescreen that allows them an out.
The Deputy is furnishing information rather than seeking it.
In view of the nature of the reply, I should like to raise the subject matter of the question on the Adjournment.
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.