asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce (a) the number of yards in this country engaged in building and repairing ships of 500 tons and over, and the number of employees engaged in this work; (b) the number of yards, including river and lake yards, engaged in building and repairing craft of under 500 tons, and the number of employees engaged in this work; (c) the proportion of home-produced materials used in the last year for which figures are available in (i) boatbuilding and (ii) shipbuilding in this country; and (d) whether it is proposed to produce steel for shipbuilding at Irish Steel Holdings, Haulbowline, County Cork, and, if so, when.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ship Building and Repair.
25.
The following is the information I have obtained in regard to (a) (b) and (c) of the Question. There is a total of twenty-six establishments registered in the Register of Shipbuilding Yards kept by the Revenue Commissioners under Section 37 of the Finance Act, 1932. There is no official classification of yards according to the tonnage of the vessels produced or repaired. The overall figure of employment in the establishments which make returns is estimated to have fluctuated, in 1962, from a maximum of 1,800 to a minimum of 1,500. No information is available regarding the use of Irish materials in this industry. With regard to (d) of the Question, the development programme of Irish Steel Holdings, Ltd. does not include the production of steel plate for shipbuilding, but steel angles and other sections for use in shipbuilding will be produced on the completion of the development work about the end of 1963.