asked the Minister for Supplies if he will state whether he is aware that in spite of various assurances given by him that arrangements had been put into force to ensure that those in Dublin who supplied the poorer sections of the people with coal would get their full normal requirements, the bellmen and the smaller distributors of coal in the city have been unable to get their normal requirements, and have been suffering the gravest hardships in getting such supplies as they get; and if he will state (1) whether he has made any examination of the conditions under which these distributors are supplied, and the smallness of the actual supplies received by them; (2) what has been the cause of the dislocation and hardship; (3) what he has done to eliminate the hardship; and (4) what he has done to maintain the full normal requirements of these distributors.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Bellmen's Coal Supplies.
I am not aware that the bellmen and other smaller distributors of coal in Dublin, who ordinarily serve the poorer sections of the people, have failed to get normal requirements to serve these people. On the contrary, I am satisfied that bellmen and other smaller distributors have been supplied with substantially more than the normal requirements of the poorer sections of the people and that some dislocation occurred owing to the withdrawal by bellmen from the central dumps, which were specially established to supply the needs of the poorer people, of supplies of coal for sale to their larger customers.
The position has been examined by officers of my Department in consultation with the Dublin coal merchants, who are co-operating with my Department in the matter, and certain measures have been taken which, it is hoped, will remove the grounds for complaint.
Has the Minister examined the conditions existing at the dumps?
I have.
Has he made inquiry as to the amount of coal the bellmen are able to draw from these dumps in relation to their normal supplies?
I am satisfied that the quantity of coal supplied from the dumps is larger than the quantity these bellmen ordinarily sold and that if there is any difficulty on the part of the poorer sections of the population getting supplies of that coal it is due to the fact that some bellmen instead of selling it to the poorer people are selling to the wealthier residents of the city.
The Minister has deliberately shut his eyes to the facts.
asked the Minister for Supplies, in view of his statement made on the 5th February last that recent increases in coal prices had been approved by him to meet increases in freights and in pit-head prices in the United Kingdom, he will state what were the increases in freights and in pit-head prices which gave rise to the increases referred to; whether he is aware that between the 10th January and the 18th January the price of coal charged to bellmen rose by 6/-; and if he will state what were the increases approved of by him, and referred to in his statement of the 5th February.
The increase to which the Deputy refers was authorised by me on the 17th January, 1941. The increase then authorised amounted to 4/- per ton and was made up as follows:—
|
Freights in the United Kingdom |
3¼d. |
per ton |
|
Increase in pit-head prices |
8d. |
per ton |
|
Increase in freights to Dublin |
3/- |
per ton |
|
Total |
3/11¼ |
per ton |
I have no knowledge that the price of coal to bellmen was increased by 6/- per ton between the 10th and the 18th January last, nor were any complaints on the subject made to my Department. The increase authorised by me is as I have stated.
asked the Minister for Supplies whether he will state for what purpose an advertisement was inserted in the Dublin daily papers on the 7th April last from the Department of Supplies asking the coal consumers who are ordinarily served by bellmen and hucksters in Dublin and Dun Laoghaire to report immediately to the Department of Supplies, 13/14, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, should any of them fail to receive adequate supplies from the bellmen or hucksters from whom they are ordinarily supplied.
The advertisement to which the Deputy refers was inserted on my instructions in order to ensure, so far as practicable, that the poorer sections of the community, for whom special arrangements both in regard to supply and price of coal had been made, would be fully and properly served.
Is the Minister aware that during that period the bell men were not able to get their normal supplies?
I am not so aware.
Has the Minister inquired into it?
Fully.
Will the Minister give us some of the facts resulting from his inquiries?
Certainly.
asked the Minister for Supplies if he will state what were the changes in the import cost of coal which caused the reduction in the price charged to bellmen of 6s. 8d. a ton from the 7th April, 1941.
Between the time in February last when the price of bellmen's coal was fixed and April 7th there was an average reduction in the c.i.f. cost of all types of coal shipped to Dublin of approximately 3/- per ton. The prices fluctuated up and down in that period, but the general tendency was downwards in price. It was decided to give the major part of the benefit of the reduction in the price of all coal imported to the coal allocated to the bellmen's dumps, the price of which coal was in consequence reduced by 6/8.
Will the Minister indicate to what the reduction was due; was it due to a reduction in the pit-head price, a reduction in freight, or to what was the 3/- reduction due?
I would require notice of that.
Will the Minister say what the normal reduction would have been?
3/-. I said the average c.i.f. cost of all coal fell by 3/-, but the price of bellmen's coal was reduced by 6/8.
Why was not that reflected in our official statistics?
That is a separate question.
asked the Minister for Supplies if he will state (1) on whose advice he increased by 5/- a ton the price of coal to bellmen to 63/- a ton from the 18th February, 1941; (2) what were the changes in the cost of imported coal which warranted this increase; and (3) what were the grounds for his stating that this price of 63/- was a subsidised price.
The price of coal to bellmen as from 18th February, 1941, was fixed after an investigation by my Department. The increase was less than the average increase in the c.i.f. cost of all coals arriving in Dublin at the time, the actual amount of which was 7/-. On the basis of the c.i.f. cost at the time the price of coal supplied to bellmen would normally have been at least 65/-.