asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the quantity of cement which it is estimated it will be necessary to import during the present year.

The indications are that 180,000 to 200,000 tons of cement will have to be imported in the year 1951.

asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state (1) the present position of the alternative propositions for the expansion of cement manufacture which caused the reversal of the decision to approve of the proposed extension of the Drogheda and Limerick plants; (2) the nature of the propositions; (3) from whom they were received, and (4) the date on which they were submitted to his Department.

It is not correct to say that the decision was reversed. Of the alternative propositions, only one is still under consideration, and I regret that I cannot see my way to give the information asked for in the remaining parts of the question.

Was the Minister for Industry and Commerce not aware of any difficulty when he announced in the Dáil that the Government had a scheme for the development of the cement industry?

If the Deputy reads the reply, he will see that there are alternative propositions. One of them is still under investigation and one came to light subsequent to the Minister's announcement here.

Why is there not something done after three years of the Government's holding up?

There is more cement being produced now.

No thanks to the Minister. They have done their damnedest to kill the cement industry.

Does the Parliamentary Secretary not think that the difficulty arises from the attempt being made by the cement cartel to hold the people of this country to ransom?

asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state (a) whether the statement made by him to the Dáil on May 25th, 1950 (Volume 121, No. 1, column 729), that the Government had signified their approval of proposals for extensions to the existing (cement) factories at Limerick and Drogheda was correct, and, if so, to whom, how and when was signification of approval given; (b) the date on which the matter was again considered by the Government and this decision reversed; (c) whether this reversal of the Government's decision was communicated to Cement, Limited, and, if so, on what date and in what terms, and, if not, why not.

The statement to which the Deputy refers in the first part of his question was correct. The Government's approval was signified to me before that announcement was made. As regards the second part of the question, the matter was considered by the Government on a number of occasions. I think the Deputy will recognise that it would be contrary to established practice to give dates in a matter of this kind. It is not correct to say that the Government's decision was reversed; what happened was that in the light of alternative proposals action on the decision was deferred. The last part of the question does not arise.

It has been deferred for three years successfully by the Coalition.