asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he is aware that valuable machinery in the now closed Barytes Mines at Muckross, Clonakilty, is getting into a useless condition, and that one hundred late employees of the Barytes Company are idle and debarred from receiving further unemployment benefit, and whether his Department is in a position to do anything towards a re-opening of the mines.

I have no information as to the present position of the machinery in these mines, which, I am aware, have been closed for a considerable time. Some twelve months ago, however, the owning company informed my Department that the plant and machinery were being kept in good order, and I have no reason to suppose that the company has ceased to carry on this maintenance work.

No unemployed workers are debarred from the receipt of unemployment benefit if they have the necessary contributions to their credit. Without longer notice I would be unable to say what was the position of the individual employees of this company in respect to benefit.

As regards the concluding portion of the question, I regret I do not see, at the moment, any direction in which action on my part would be helpful. The re-opening of the mines is a business matter in which I will be glad to follow up any practical suggestion showing how I can be of assistance.