asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he can state when the Mid-January Cost-of-Living Report will be issued, and whether it will be laid on the table of the Dáil.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - COST-OF-LIVING REPORT.
This report was issued on the 13th inst. and I can provide copies for any Deputies who wish for them.
Does the Minister not consider that Deputies should have copies of these reports as early as the Press, and will he see in future that copies are placed on the Table?
I believe that Deputies should have copies of these reports as early as the Press and that they should take steps to provide themselves with them. It is not incumbent on me to put anything except statutory reports on the Table and these reports do not come within the category.
Will the Minister, as a concession, place the report on the Table?
Would the Minister not consult with the Minister for Finance, and perhaps with the Ceann Comhairle, and consider whether this is not the kind of paper that ought automatically to be circulated to Deputies?