I thank you for giving me the opportunity to bring this matter before the House, because we regard it as very important. With your indulgence, I intend to give some of my time to Deputy Daly.
As the House knows, in the late seventies the Bombardier company was set up at Shannon to build buses. Those buses were to serve the schools, city bus services, provincial bus services and the building of coaches was on the stocks at the time. The arrangement at that time, and as far as I know it still obtains was that the actual building operation was owned by SFADCo and the tooling and equipment was, and still is, owned by CIE; and there was an arrangement with the Bombardier company to have the factory used to build buses to suit the transport developments envisaged for the entire country.
A considerable number of such buses were built. The Government, and I at that time, heard certain complaints about the quality of the buses. I did a survey of drivers who, for the most part, indicated that the buses were good, sound, reliable and that the percentage availability was very high. Later the Bombardier company passed the operations on to GAC and they shared directors.
The important thing to reflect on is that there were as many as 450 people employed, 200 in the assembly of the buses and 250 involved in various types of manufacture to service the bus assembly company. At present, with the disastrous unemployment position and particularly with the availability of large numbers of young people who have been trained in certain manual skills, this House and the Government are not thinking sufficiently seriously, because we are not merely dealing with 450 people, that number can be multiplied by two or three in order to get the true figure of the numbers relying on this business.
The product was a reliable one. The factory was set up properly and the numbers engaged were substantial. In the light of all this and of the serious unemployment problem, the Government should make a serious effort to give this industry a chance. What is the value of the total tooling and machinery of that factory? What does one do with it now? How can its value be realised? Will the IDA be able to put something in place of the GAC operation and take up that company's capital investment? What about the much vaunted National Development Corporation? What will they develop? Why will they not invest in one of the easiest forms of investment available? The factory is there for leasing, the equipment is there for use. Would it cost a great deal?
I am trying to stimulate people to think deeply on this serious matter, to think along the lines of the possibility for development. There are various agencies, many development organisations such as the NDC, who should be interested. There are also the IDA and SFADCo. All of these should be dealing with this problem and trying to get a viable industry going at Shannon. As I said, there are many young people highly trained in manual skills. The GAC company had inputs from sheet metal workers employed in supplying the main factory. There were people making the metal parts for buses, there was a metal workshop and there were people engaged doing a highly skilled job in the making of upholstery. Those people were spread over the area and getting first class employment through their association with the main company.
Those involved in employment in that area will regard many of the activities of this House as a charade if nothing is done to salvage something form this situation. There is no problem about providing a building, which would be a big obstacle if a new business were being established. There would be no problem about providing grants for machinery and tooling because they are already in place. As I have said, there is no problem about the provision of skilled work people. They are already there, their skills having been developed by training.
I should like to know if the Minister for Industry and Commerce has applied his mind to and engaged the minds of his officials with this problem. I look forward to hearing him on what the possibilities are, on what possibilities have been explored. Have the IDA been consulted and if so what was their exact answer? Has whoever has responsibility for the infant National Development Corporation given an opinion on this? If so, the House would be interested to know what that opinion is.
With regard to one major area to which my collegues may refer, what is the Government decision with regard to the provision of school buses? Is there a Government decision on that matter? Has a decision been taken to discontinue the provision by the Department of Education of buses for school transport? I do not know but the House is entitled to know in this context as well as in the broader educational context.
I urge the Minister to make contact with all those areas I mentioned, as well as CIE, of course, and the Department of Transport — we will have the Committee Stage of the Dublin Transport Authority Bill tomorrow — who must be interested in the fate of this factory at Shannon. Again I urge on the Minister and this House the seriousness of the situation, the importance for us, as public representatives to be seen to be concerned when so many people are being put out of work in an area which is manufacturing a product which can be very useful for the further development of our economy.
