asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware that the Dundalk firm which did not receive the contract given to British Railways may as a result have to lay-off 130 of its 230 workers; and what steps he will now take to help this firm.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dundalk Firm.
22.
I understand that problems have arisen for the firm referred to by the Deputy but that these are due mainly to a serious downturn in the capital goods industry and not to the failure to secure the contract mentioned.
I understand that no redundancies have taken place as yet and that any immediate large scale redundancy is unlikely. The company are making every effort to avoid the possibility of redundancies by seeking out additional engineering work to utilise excess capacity and are being assisted by the Industrial Development Authority.
Does the Minister not agree that the additional engineering work to which he referred would, in fact, be adequately covered by the contract which they did not get and which was, in fact, given to British Rail, the subsidy on which, to keep British people working in Britain, nobody knows?
I do not accept that. We are looking for permanent additional engineering work and what the Deputy is referring to, I presume, is a contract which he discussed in the House with one of my colleagues some time ago.
Surely the Minister will agree that if there is a recession in the trade for corrugated paper machinery, which is the main product of this factory and which is sold all over the world, because of the recession in America and other places, then the valuable contract, worth perhaps £1.5 million, would have tided them over for the year or the year-and-a-half during which this recession is expected to last?
I do not know if the recession is expected to last for a year or a year and a half. As I said, the Industrial Development Authority are busily engaged in conjunction with the firm concerned seeking out additional engineering work with a view to utilising the excess capacity for whatever length of time the recession may last, as well as, of course, with a view to trying to find additional engineering work which may continue as an adjunct to the present work when the recession period has been got over.
(Interruptions.)
Question No. 23. Order.
One and a quarter million pounds gone to Britain.
The Deputy has already had this.
And I will have it again—130 workers being knocked off.