asked the Minister for Transport and Power if, in view of the serious difficulties which have arisen in one cross-channel transport company, he is satisfied that other cross-channel transport companies are not in serious trouble; that employment therein is not in danger; and that Ireland's highly important cross-channel freight services are not in jeopardy.
Ceisteanna—Questious. Oral Answers. - Cross-Channel Transport.
6.
In relation to the State companies operating cross-channel freight services, I would refer the Deputy to my reply to a question in this connection asked by Deputy M. O'Leary on 25th November, 1970.
Detailed information about the affairs of other shipping companies are not made available to my Department nor could I reveal such information if it were but I have no reason to believe that our cross-channel freight services are in jeopardy.
Could I ask the Minister does he not regard the assumed failure of the parts of Hibernian Transport Limited consisting of Palgrave Murphy and the Limerick Steamship Company as being a most serious part of our cross-channel freight service and, in addition to that, is there any connection between what has happened in the Hibernian Transport Company and the statement from Irish Shipping some weeks ago that they were thinking of bringing back some of their ships? Did Irish Shipping have some information which the general public did not have?
I am afraid the Deputy is not "with it" really because Irish Shipping's type of world tramp traffic is a different type of business altogether from the freight traffic operating between Britain and Ireland.
The Minister does not understand my question.
I understand it perfectly, but Irish Shipping are doing a totally different kind of business.
Irish Shipping announced publicly about five or six weeks ago that they were thinking of bringing back some of their ships here.
The Deputy is not "with it" at all.
That is a fact.
They are two completely separate matters.
That is a fact.