asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if, in view of the announcement of a subsidy of £20 million by the British Government for the textile industry in Britain, he will introduce subsidies for the Irish textile industry with special reference to the shirtmaking sector.

I take it that what the Deputy has in mind is the announcement, on 23rd July, 1975, by the British Secretary of State for Industry that, to raise productivity in the clothing industry, it was proposed to provide under the Industry Act, financial help for modernisation and re-equipment. I understand that the details of this scheme have yet to be fully worked out. However, the information I have is that the main forms of assistance proposed are ones which have been available for many years to industry generally in Ireland, including the shirtmaking industry. The forms of assistance I refer to are

(a) grants for re-equipment; and

(b) technical assistance grants for the employment of consultants on schemes designed to improve productivity.