Vol. 490 No. 4
70 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans, if any, she has to appoint an inspector to report on the alleged irregularities which may have occurred during the State ownership of Irish Steel and which were reported in the press recently; the other action, if any, she will take as a result of these allegations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10290/98]
The sale of the former Irish Steel Ltd was finalised in May 1996. Since that time, my Department has been in regular contact with senior management at the plant as part of the monitoring commitment agreed as part of the sale process.
My Department has been in contact with plant management in recent weeks and officials from my Department have also visited the plant in the past week to discuss the recent allegations about irregularities and other current issues.
However, any irregularities at the plant, either past or present, are a matter for the current owners, Irish Ispat Ltd, as is the decision on how to handle such irregularities. Irish Ispat Ltd is currently carrying out an internal investigation into these matters. My Department is not involved in this investigation and I do not propose that it should become involved. However, my Department will remain in contact with plant management and will be kept informed of developments.
