Grant aid for timber processing plants
A Deputy called for grant aid to be reconsidered so more timber could be processed domestically; the Minister supplied historical Northern Ireland sales figures but did not address the grant-aid request directly. The Deputy renewed the request for a review.
We hear a lot of talk about importation subsidies, but there has been an increase of £500,000 in the value of timber in one year and most of that timber is returning to Ireland in pallets, benches, posts and so on. Would the Minister agree that it is time to reexamine the IDA and other grant aid for processing plants?
Comment on this
I have given the figures for the two years mentioned in the question, but in 1982, 90,000 m³ of timber were sold to the North at a value of £1,317,000 and in 1980 2,500 m³ were sold. The figures for 1985 do not compare unfavourably with what happened in those years.