asked the Minister for Supplies if he is aware that farmer motor car owners mainly use their vehicles for purposes directly in connection with their farm operations; that under the existing petrol rationing scheme they are entitled only to the minimum allowance of petrol, being thereby placed in the same category as persons using motor cars for pleasure purposes; that they will be greatly hampered in their food production efforts and put to additional and unnecessary costs in providing horse transport; and whether the Minister will take immediate steps to have the rate of allowance of petrol to farmer motor car owners considerably increased.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Allowance of Petrol.
asked the Minister for Supplies if he will state whether any provision has been made to give farmers who own motor vehicles a petrol allowance above the horse power allowance issued to them as private owners of cars.
I propose to take these two questions together.
Private car owners, who have substantiated claims for an allowance of petrol over and above the basic allowance, on the grounds that they use their cars for essential business purposes, have been granted licences to purchase petrol in quantities to meet their special requirements.
Applications from farmers who use their cars in connection with their farm operations and who have substantiated claims accordingly for additional petrol licences, have been dealt with on this basis.
Would it not be possible to give a more general order, namely, that people in that position would get the petrol without the necessity of making an extra application?
They must make an application.
Is it not possible to revise that view so that it will not be necessary for those people to make a separate application?
There is a basic allowance which every car owner is entitled to get. Any person asking for more than that allowance must make an additional application and prove his claim.
Is the Minister aware that cattle traders do a very big mileage over the month? A number of them have made additional applications and they have not got even a reply. Those people are in a serious difficulty. I know one cattle trader who is getting an allowance of eight gallons for a 10 horse-power car and he has to do 400 or 500 miles a week.
I am not so aware.
Will the Minister see to it that his Departmental officials are more prompt in answering letters, because complaints have been made to me by people who could get no reply from the Minister's Department?
That is quite possible, because at the beginning of a scheme of this kind there is, naturally, a time lag in dealing with applications. It may take several weeks before the arrears are made good.
In the meantime, what is going to happen to cattle dealers who find it necessary in the course of their business to go from place to place?