§ MR. FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick)To ask the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he will consider the expediency of establishing within the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction in Ireland a special section under an independent board of business men and manufacturers, with adequate funds at their disposal for the development of industries, the carrying out of experiments on the raw material available in Ireland, the formation of a foreign inquiry office with a view to securing markets for the existing industries, the establishing of a central technical institute where instruction might be given in industries capable of development, and also inviting the co-operation of the Irish industrial development associations.
(Answered by Mr. T. W. Russell.) Many of the operations referred to in the Question are, to a considerable extent, already carried on through the agency of 1549 the Department and the various technical institutions in connection therewith. The establishment of a special section of the nature referred to depends largely on financial considerations. The Department have, at present, no funds for the purpose, all the moneys at their disposal being fully hypothecated.