asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will furnish information on the aid available in Northern Ireland for harvesting, sawmilling and the processing of timber vis-á-vis that available in the Republic under the following headings (i) grants for capital expenditure for (a) land and buildings (b) transportation (c) machinery for harvesting and (d) sawmilling, stake production and log processing; (ii) labour subsidies for (a) sawmilling and (b) timber harvesting; and (iii) other financial aids for (a) capital financing (b) interest free loans (c) working capital availability and (d) training grants.

I am not in a position to give authoritative and comprehensive information as to the financial assistance which may be made available in Northern Ireland for industrial projects generally and for timber processing projects in particular.