Vol. 222 No. 9
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce why a factory at Finisklin, County Sligo is being closed down; if any arrangements are being made to employ the 50 workers elsewhere; and whether a redundancy fund and training facilities as promised last January have been as yet brought into operation.
32.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware of the possible closing down of the Western Iron Company at Finisklin, Sligo; and what steps he proposes to take to encourage the establishment of a heavy industry in Sligo, in view of the ever-increasing incidence of emigration from that area.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 32 together.
I am informed that this company is being closed down as some of its products are being superseded by more modern products and other goods produced by it are uncompetitive in price; and that as a result its operations have become uneconomic.
It will be appreciated that the establishment of a heavy or other industry in Sligo to provide alternative employment for the redundant workers is primarily a matter for private enterprise. If a sound industrial proposal can be formulated, I will be pleased to facilitate it in any way open to me but the siting of any industry is essentially a matter for the promoters.
The redundancy payments and training schemes cannot be brought into operation until the necessary legislation has been passed by the Oireachtas. The Industrial Training Bill is at present before the Dáil. The legislation for redundancy payments is in course of preparation.
This means that these 50 employees have to wait and see.
Take the mailboat.
Does it mean they will have to go? It happened before in Sligo when over 200 workers had to leave the factory. There is nothing left for these people, no alternative employment. Is that what it means?
I think what the Deputy wants me to do is to create alternative employment at once, and that is not within my power. Such employment is created by private enterprise and encourged by the State. The State gives all the encouragement that private enterprise could require for the setting up of industry
Did the Minister not know for the past 12 months that this industry was going to close? He did nothing about it.
Would Fine Gael set up industries instead of ones that were closed?
Fianna Fáil are in power.
I have told Deputies what we are doing.
Nothing.
I do not know when the Minister last visited Sligo but he is exercising the imagination of this House too much to say it is up to private enterprise to provide this extension of employment in Sligo. Sligo is a depressed area and one hopes the Minister's Department, supposedly a progressive Department, will consider what it can do about providing extra employment in the town of Sligo. Private enterprise has failed there.
I would not say private enterprise has failed. It has provided a good deal of employment.
In Sligo?
Go to Collooney.
Can you tell us what the grant was?
Three hundred male workers employed.
