Vol. 83 No. 4
I move amendment No. 1:—
In page 5, section 6, line 33, to delete the letter and brackets "(a)".
The first four amendments, Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4, are to meet a point raised by Deputy Hughes on Committee Stage. The point arose whether the producers should not elect representatives from their own number, and I agreed that we would provide for that on the Report Stage. The first four amendments deal with that.
I move amendment No. 2:—
In page 6, section 9, to delete line 11, and substitute the following words "in case he is a retailer member" to the words "the register of wholesalers".
I move amendment No. 3:—
In page 6, section 10, to delete line 16 and substitute the following words "or, in case such ordinary member was a retailer member".
I move amendment No. 4:—
In page 6, section 11, to delete lines 20 and 21 and substitute the following words "deletion therefrom of all words from the words ‘or, in case such ordinary member was a retailer member' to the word ‘the'".
I move amendment No. 5:—
In page 7, line 4, sub-section (1), (c), of Section 15, to insert before the word "registered" the words, "at the date of the passing of this Act, or becomes, not later than two months after the said date,".
This amendment is introduced to deal with a point raised by Deputy Hughes on both the Second Reading and Committee Stage. It is provided in the Bill that creameries which sent milk to Dublin during the strike period will be permitted to continue to send milk on a certain basis, but it was thought that we should put some limit to the time during which they would be permitted to qualify. There are two points to be fulfilled in the qualification. Firstly, they must qualify under the Milk and Dairies Act before they are permitted to send milk for consumption and, secondly, they must register with the Milk Board. It is also provided that they must comply with the Milk and Dairies Act within two months of the passing of this Bill. I should like to repeat that there is only one creamery that I think can qualify, apart from those now qualified, and that creamery, if it is going to qualify, has now only two months to do so.
I move amendment No. 6:—
In page 10, after sub-section (2) of Section 22, to insert the following new sub-section:—
(3) sub-section (4) of Section 43 of the Principal Act is hereby amended by the substitution of the word "sub-section" for the word "section" and the said sub-section (4) shall be construed and have effect accordingly.
This is merely a drafting amendment.
I move amendment No. 7:—
In page 10, to add at the end of Section 22 the following new sub-section:—
(4) Section 43 of the Principal Act is hereby amended by the insertion therein of the following two additional sub-sections and the said section shall be construed and have effect accordingly, that is to say:—
(6) If any person being a registered producer in respect of a joint district attempts to sell any milk to any other person being a registered retailer or a registered wholesaler in respect of such district at a price less than the appropriate statutory minimum price such first-mentioned person shall be guilty of an offence under this sub-section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to the penalties mentioned in the Schedule to this Act.
(7) If any person (in this sub-section referred to as the vendor) who is a registered retailer or a registered wholesaler in respect of a joint district attempts to sell any milk to another person who is a registered retailer or a registered wholesaler in respect of such district at a price less than the price which would, if the vendor were a registered producer in respect of such district, be the appropriate statutory minimum price, the vendor shall be guilty of an offence under this sub-section and shall be liable on summary conviction thereof to the penalties mentioned in the Schedule to this Act.
This amendment deals with the remaining point raised by Deputy Hughes. He thought that we should provide for penalties where any person attempts to evade the regulations. The matter was evidently not covered in the Principal Act, and this is the best attempt we can make to deal with it now. It is a very difficult point, but this is the best we can do.
I should like to ask the Minister just one question. I understand that, as a result of foot-and-mouth disease, between 1,500 and 2,000 cows have been slaughtered in the city. Does the Minister contemplate restrict-the number of cows to be licensed for dairying purposes in the city in the future? Does he think it good policy to permit such a large number of cows to be kept in a modern city, and is he satisfied that there are proper facilities for keeping these cows? To my mind, it is scarcely an economic proposition for people to keep these cows in a city because they have to buy the fodder, mangolds, turnips, grain and concentrated foods which are necessary. Again, most of them have to pay for grazing on the 11 months system during the summer period. I think an opportunity is now afforded the Minister, if compensation has to be paid for these slaughtered cows, to review this whole matter. I do not know how he could deal with it, but I suggest, now that he has the opportunity, that the whole problem should be examined before he permits restocking in the city. I think the question is well worthy of examination, even from the public health point of view.
As a matter of fact, it is only on public health grounds that the question can be considered. I have no function in that matter because the licensing of these dairies is altogether a question for the Corporation, acting under the public health laws. I cannot say what the Corporation intends to do about it. The Corporation, of course, are bound by the Milk and Dairies Act, and they must register premises that are up to standard. Whether the Corporation would be inclined to raise the standard I could not say, but they will have to act within the law. The only matter in which I could interfere when the foot-and-mouth restrictions are withdrawn would have reference to lairages for the markets. We intend to insist on much higher standards in the future than we had in the past in that matter.
The Minister might discuss the other question with the Minister for Local Government?
Naturally, that will be done.
