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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 11 Jun 1925

Vol. 12 No. 7

COMMITTEE ON FINANCE. - VOTE 27.—HAULBOWLINE DOCKYARD.

I move:—

Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £10,000 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1926, chun costaisí i dtaobh Longlainne Inis Sionnach.

That a sum not exceeding £10,000 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1926, for expenses in connection with Haulbowline Dockyard.

The sum of £15,000 in the Estimate for 1925-26 is necessary in order that the dockyard may be maintained and the plant and gear kept in repair. Every possible measure is taken to secure economy. Negotiations for the disposal of the dockyard and the oil tanks are in progress with several reputable firms, and until the result of these negotiations is known, the dockyard and plant must be maintained as a going concern. A military hospital is maintained on the island pending the completion of an hospital in Cork, and a ferry service must be maintained for the hospital staff and garrison, and also for the civilian ex-employees and employees on the dockyard who reside in houses on the island. Great difficulties would be met with in endeavouring to remove the civilians from the houses which they occupy. The closing down of the dockyard would involve the dismissal of from ninety to one hundred men at present employed there, and as long as there is any reasonable possibility of ultimately disposing of the property it is not considered desirable to throw these men out of employment. The question of closing down the dockyard will, however, have to be seriously considered at the end of the year if it is not disposed of.

I think the most important point in connection with this Estimate is the note appended to it. It is very necessary that we should know exactly what the position of Haulbowline will be. The Minister is aware of the fact, of course, that not so long ago it gave an immense amount of employment to the people of Passage, Cobh, and Cork city, and that a large number of workers in the shipbuilding trade are now walking about idle. Hardly anybody is employed in the Passage dockyard at the moment. The people in this district used to look to Haulbowline for work, and in view of the statement that the question of the future of the dockyard is under consideration, I should like the Minister to give us some idea of what the future of Haulbowline will be. It is a pity to see such a fine place in a derelict condition, giving employment practically to nobody, and if the Minister would kindly give us some information as to its future I would be very grateful on behalf of the people I represent.

The facts are more or less as stated by Deputy Egan, but, unfortunately, up to the present, no way has actually been found of dealing satisfactorily with Haulbowline. There are a number of possible ways out, if I might so put it. The best way undoubtedly would be to let it to a ship-repairing firm, if a shipbuilding firm were out of the question. That would give a large amount of employment. The difficulty is to get a ship-repairing firm to make any offer for it. As the Minister has pointed out, we are in communication with reputable firms, including one local firm, and even if we could not let the whole yard, something might be done. The least satisfactory method would be, if we cannot get a ship-repairing firm to take on the working of the yard, that we might get a ship-breaking firm. From many points of view, that would not be quite so satisfactory, because it would by no means provide the same amount of employment. If, after having given every chance of seeing what the prospects are, there is no likelihood of either one or the other course being possible, then the future of Haulbowline will become still more problematical. There is undoubtedly a large amount of unemployment there. There was a large amount of employment some years ago. In the matter of getting somebody to take up the yard the Government, up to the present, has not been able to deal with the situation.

I am inclined to think that it would pay the Government to hand it over to somebody free of rent altogether. It would bring revenue in another way, and the people would get employment.

It is not the matter of rent that is the difficulty, at all.

It is the difficulty of getting anybody to take it.

Vote put and agreed to.
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