§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make a statement on the circumstances which led to the closure of Ballantyne knitwear factory in Coleraine; and what was the number and the total value of grants made to the Ballantyne Knitwear Company from public funds during its operation.
§ Mr. Concannon,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 14th November 1978; 453W Vol. 958, c. 165], gave the following information:
The closure of the Ballantyne factory followed 11 weeks of industrial action resulting from a trade dispute. I deplore this development, which was quite uncharacteristic of the good industrial relations which I understand the company enjoyed in Northern Ireland during the past 20 years.
The factory was established in 1958 in premises rented from the Government. It received the following grants:
- (i) from the Department of Commerce, towards capital expenditure—£24,695, of which over £18,500 was given in the two years up to 1960.
- (ii) from the Department of Manpower Services, under the training on employers premises scheme—£18,643, of which some £14,400 was provided between 1964 and 1966.