asked the Minister for Industry and Energy if he will give full details regarding a firm (details supplied) in County Galway; the date it was registered as a company in Ireland; the date on which they bought a company (details supplied) in Loughrea; the price paid for it; the grant received from the IDA for its purchase; the total amount of grants paid to this company by the IDA during its existence; the total amount of loans and grants paid to the company by Fóir Teoranta, the number of workers employed in the company during its existence; if audited balance sheets were presented annually by the company during its existence; the date on which the final loan or grants were paid to the company by the IDA or Fóir Teoranta; the date on which the company went into liquidation; the total amount of money owed by the company after going into liquidation; and the price for which the premises were recently sold.
Written Answers. - Loughrea (Galway) Firm.
The answers to the Deputy's question are as follows:
1. The company in question was registered in Ireland on 18 July 1978 as a private company with limited liability.
2. The sale to this company of the former Courtaulds' factory in Loughrea, which earlier had been acquired by the Industrial Development Authority, was closed in June 1981. The sale had been delayed by legal difficulties over title. The purchase price of the factory was £65,000 which was reduced by £24,050, being the IDA grant towards its purchase.
3. The total amount of grants paid to the company by the IDA was £723,258 of which £94,459 has been recovered.
4. Details of loans or other assistance given by Fóir Teoranta are a matter for the Minister for Finance, as Fóir Teoranta operates under his aegis.
5. The company employed 70 people.
6. The company submitted, on a regular basis, audited balance sheets and management accounts to the IDA.
7. The final grant payment was made to the company in December 1981.
8. The company was liquidated in December 1981.
9. The provision of information about the total amount of money owed by the company after going into liquidation and the price for which the premises were recently sold is a matter for the liquidator.