During the past few weeks a number of questions have appeared on the Order Paper seeking information from various Ministers regarding the importation and the acceptance of foreign goods and asking, too, whether the Ministers concerned had impressed on the Departments the necessity for purchasing Irish-manufactured goods.
We have a very serious unemployment situation: there are almost 130,000 people out of work but there is a total lack of responsibility on the part of Ministers in so far as those unemployed are concerned. When we have raised these questions the answers we have received have been misleading in many ways. I have carried out some investigations in regard to purchases on behalf of Departments during the past couple of years and I have found that our present situation is being sabotaged by the various Departments including the Department of Defence. The Government, as a whole, must bear responsibility for this.
On January 16th, 1975 we asked a question regarding the purchase of footwear for Naval Service personnel. We were told that a contract was placed with Irish manufacturers in May, 1974 on the basis of a tender submitted and on which it was stated that the footwear concerned would be manufactured in a factory in Ireland. We are all aware of the situation within the footwear industry, of the numbers who have lost their jobs and of all those others who are on short time. However, to get back to the tender, it was found when the delivery was made that some of the items were foreign manufactured. This was at a time when many of our State-aided industries were going out of business. The Minister went on to state that it was not understood how the contractor got the impression that it would be in order to supply foreign-made shoes.
Deputy Brosnan raised this matter in the House and he expressed the hope that the Minister's reply would dispel any annoyance that was being caused by the supply to the Naval Service of footwear that carried the Saville Row status symbol. It is said that an army marches on its stomach but we want to ensure that our Army march on Irish leather. In reply to the Deputy the Minister said that on 24th April, 1974, the controller of stores invited tenders from 13 firms, all of which were Irish, for the supply of a 1,000 pairs of boots and 300 pairs of shoes for the Navy, that the tender accepted was endorsed to the effect that the articles would be manufactured by the firm who were tendering, that samples were asked for and received but that no indication was given that the items would be manufactured in England. The Minister told us that when the delivery was received in October it was found that the shoes were marked "British made" but that the boots bore no marking to indicate where they were made although it was confirmed later that they were made in Dublin. The Minister told us that the price difference in the tender accepted was greater than the margin of preference normally allowed under Government contract rules to Irish manufacturers.
It is very difficult to get information from the Departments in relation to these matters. On some occasions we are told that a tender is received from Irish manufacturers but it does not appear to matter where the goods are manufactured. The Minister for Defence may not be responsible for this situation except in so far as the area of collective responsibility is concerned. One would imagine that the great socialist, Dr. Conor Cruise-O'Brien, would impress on the personnel in his Department the need to buy Irish-made goods.
