asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will indicate the present position regarding the proposed bacon factory for south-west Cork.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - County Cork Bacon Factory.
23.
No proposal for a new bacon factory in south-west Cork is before my Department at present.
Am I to assume from the reply that no proposal for the erection of a bacon factory is before the Minister's Department?
That is what the reply said.
Is the Minister not aware that it has been accepted by the Department of Industry and Commerce that a bacon factory should be located in south-west Cork? Is he not aware that the Government's local information bureau, my esteemed colleague, Deputy Crowley's information bureau, informed south-west Cork that a bacon factory had been approved and was to be sited in the town of Dunmanway and that the news was generally welcomed? That was 12 months ago. There was an election 12 months ago.
I am quite confident that Deputy Murphy will be able to settle this matter with Deputy Crowley.
It is not a matter to be settled with Deputy Crowley. People assume that Deputy Crowley is the mouthpiece of the Government. Is he not further aware——
The Deputy asked me a simple question about a proposal before my Department in relation to a factory in west Cork, and the answer was very brief and simple.
Deputy Murphy is not that simple.
Is he not further aware that south-west Cork, as has been pointed out here time and again, produces 11 per cent of the pig population of this country? Is it not justifiable therefore to establish a processing factory within the area which produces such a sizeable percentage of our pigs and thus give employment to local people?
It is surprising that neither the Deputy nor anyone else has made such a proposal to my Department so far.
Would the Minister say——
We cannot discuss the whole matter on this question.
The Minister's statement is that no proposals are before his Department. Is the Minister not aware that claims have been made here time and again to the Department of Industry and Commerce that a bacon factory should be established in south-west Cork? Is he not further aware that at a time when it was useful for the Government to have this factory located there, an official intimation came from Government sources that a factory was to be established in Dunmanway town?
We cannot have a discussion on every one of Deputy Murphy's questions.
I want to draw the attention of the Taoiseach to this problem.
(Interruptions.)
The Deputy would not want us to get two seats out of three down there?
No.
That is not the object of the Taoiseach's move down there.
He does not control all the seats in his own party.
(Interruptions.)
Order.
Does the Taoiseach expect to win a seat from the Republican Party?
It is very pleasant for us to have the Taoiseach down with us in south-west Cork every week-end. He is a most welcome visitor. We wish him well and I hope that this week-end he will pass through Dunmanway town and Timoleague and see the need for industries there. Irrespective of political affiliation——
Would Deputy Murphy please resume his seat and allow the House to get on with the remaining questions?