Vol. 254 No. 3
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if, in regard to the Irish National Veneer Industries factory at Creeslough, County Donegal, he will state (a) the date of commencement of production, (b) the number of owners since its opening, (c) the amount paid by way of grants or other subventions, (d) the amount, if any, of such advances which have been recouped and (e) the prospects of the balance outstanding being recovered for the Exchequer.
31.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware of the serious position that has arisen as a result of the closure of the Irish National Veneer Industries factory at Creeslough, County Donegal; if there are any prospects of any steps being taken to have it reopened; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 31 together.
While it is not correct that the factory has closed down I am aware that the company is experiencing certain difficulties. I am informed that the company is at present discussing with the Industrial Development Authority possible ways of remedying the situation.
The information requested in the first question is as follows: (a) July, 1960; (b) Two; (c) Grants paid by the IDA totalled £80,355. A Technical Assistance Grant of £750 was also paid by my Department; (d) Nil; (e) In the event of the company closing down, steps would be taken by the IDA in accordance with their usual practice to seek recoupment of whatever amounts of grants might be legally recoverable.
My information, and I would like the Minister to confirm or deny it, is that the company concerned gave notice some four months ago to the Department of Industry and Commerce that they intended to close their factory in July or rather reduce it to 50 per cent working strength and to pull out completely in the month of September. This is my information from a reliable source. Will the Minister say whether that is correct or false?
What I have said in my reply is that the company is at present in discussion with the IDA regarding possible ways of remedying the situation. That is as far as I am willing to go in this regard at the moment.
The Minister said he did not accept that the factory is now closed. I quite agree that the factory is still fully operative but I am asking the Minister did the company concerned notify his Department some four months ago that they intended to close it down in the month of September and that in fact they would be working at 50 per cent working strength as from July? Can I get a yes or no answer to that?
The company did indicate to the IDA——
I am asking about the Department.
I have no information on that.
Would the Minister be able to say whether or not it is correct that the factory has passed out of the hands of the former owner to Unilever and that in fact what Deputy Harte says is correct, that they have given notice to the workers and to the trade union? I represent the trade union. We have been told that it is proposed to go to half strength in July and to close completely in September. Surely there must be some definite information?
The position is that in 1963 a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Unilever group took over the company. This was not in recent times.
But they are closing now?
Unilever notified the Minister's Department four months ago?
I have no information on that. The correspondence on this matter has been between the firm itself and the IDA.
Is the Minister telling me that Unilever notified the IDA four months ago that they intended to close down?
Yes, and arising from this there are discussions going on with a view to seeing if the situation can be altered.
This is a matter of great concern to County Donegal.
I do not see why the Deputy should be so anxious to close the factory.
But he is not; he is trying to keep it open.
I think the best way to contribute to that is by not spelling out that he wants to see the factory closed.
The Minister is trying to hide this as it was tried to hide the Budget.
I am hiding nothing. As a matter of fact the question said that the factory was closed. I am only trying to help the Deputy arising out of the mistake he made in the second question.
That is not the way I stated it—the way I meant it.
This is the way the questions reads. I cannot know how the Deputy means it.
If this is the type of intelligent comment that I am to get from a Minister of State when the jobs of 62 people are at stake I have very little hope for their future employment. I am fully alive to what is happening in this factory. I want to ask the Minister if he is aware that in this factory —he has told us the type of subvention it has got—the workers there now are earning approximately £1,200 per week in a rural part of County Donegal and they pay approximately £1,500 a year income tax? If they are unemployed they will be a burden on the State of approximately £35,000 per year. I believe the company concerned, who make every effort to keep the factory open, gave notice to the Minister's Department four months ago through the IDA and the Minister has made no progress to date. It is disgraceful that he should have to stand up here and try to sell that situation. Why does the Minister not admit that he has done nothing at all and has taken no interest in it?
The Deputy now seems to be better informed than when he put down the questions because one of the two questions addressed to me, to which I am replying, asked if I was aware of the serious position as a result of the fact that it had closed down.
On a point of order— would the Minister please resume his seat—this Parliamentary Question was put over the telephone by me and there may be an error on the part of somebody else. For the Minister's information I have been in close contact with the workers and the management and I am fully alive to what is happening down there——
I am calling Question No. 32.
It may not be possible to raise this on the Adjournment this evening but I give notice that I propose to raise it on the Adjournment next week.
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.
