andMr. Brosnan asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will confirm that the Ford Motor Company has concluded negotiations for the setting up of a major industry which will employ 3,000 people on an IDA site at Cork Harbour.

It would be contrary to well-established and well-founded practice to give any information about negotiations which may be in progress between the IDA and any industrial firm.

The practice is that negotiations between the IDA and industrial promoters are treated as confidential until such time as the promoters are prepared to release information. It is vital to the success of the industrial development programme that industrialists can discuss their investment plans in complete confidence with the IDA.

Everybody knows that this is a fact. Have these negotiations been successfully completed? Will the Minister give an assurance to us that in view of the traditional link between Ford and the county and city of Cork that no stone will be left unturned by the IDA and himself to ensure that the negotiations are successfully completed? Everybody knows about this and I should like to know why the Minister is keeping the details up his sleeve. Is it another election stunt?

The Deputy is falling victim to a tendency which is widespread in the country to try to publicise things before they reach the stage of completion.

That has only been done by the Minister.

That can be extremely damaging to the whole question of negotiation which has to be confidential and the time of announcement has to be chosen by the firm.

American, preferably.

Firms have to be given the right to make the announcement. That is their right and if not observed will jeopardise the whole programme of attracting investment. It is a right which has been strictly observed by me and will continue to be so.

My concern is that the Minister will jeopardise this situation by making a mess of it like he did in relation to other matters. Will the Minister assure the House that the negotiations are taking place?

The Deputy is trying to make political mileage out of something which appeared as a leak in the newspapers. He is not serving the best interests of his constituency or of the State in general by pursuing this line of questioning.

We will hear all about it the day the election is called.

On a point of order, I should like to give notice that, with the permission of the Chair, I propose to raise the subject matter of Questions Nos. 10 to 14, inclusive, on the Adjournment in view of the unsatisfactory nature of the replies and the absence of replies.

The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.