asked the Minister for Agriculture if any steps have been taken, or are about to be taken, to ensure that licences to move cattle into the Dublin Cattle Market are not placed in the same hands each week by those responsible for their final distribution.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Cattle Market Licences.
The Dublin Salesmasters' Association and the Louth and Meath committee responsible for the distribution of licences for the movement of cattle to Dublin market for sale for export have been instructed to take care that the licences are fairly distributed amongst producers who have cattle suitable for export, and I am satisfied that every precantion possible is being taken to ensure that a proper distribution is made.
Mr. Brennan
Does the Minister seriously tell the House that he is satisfied with the distribution of licences for the moving of cattle into the Dublin cattle market?
I believe it is a fair distribution.
Mr. Brennan
Has the Minister received any complaints in regard to this matter?
I have received several.
Mr. Brennan
The Minister stated that 25 licences were issued to farmers in Donegal. Have any licences been issued to farmers in Roscommon?
The number may be small, but there were some issued.
Mr. Brennan
There were no licences issued that I am aware of. I am given to understand by people in the trade there that the same persons get licences week in and week out.
No, that is not true.
Mr. Brennan
Is there any reason why these licences could not be issued through the county committee? Why should they be issued through the Dublin Salesmasters' Association? I have been informed that the same people get them week in and week out.
Does the Minister expect that any man who has not been in the habit of sending cattle to the Dublin cattle market will get a licence from the Dublin Salesmasters' Association?
Indeed they are getting them.
Deputy Hughes suggests that any person who has no connection with the Dublin salesmasters will not get a licence. The rule is that every person who has cattle to sell will be catered for. Any person who has 20 cattle or more to sell will not be allowed to dispose of them until people with four or five cattle to sell have sold them.
Mr. Brennan
Who are the people who find out the persons with cattle to sell?
There are very few applications from the County Roscommon.
The Minister has stated that he is satisfied every precaution possible is being taken to ensure a proper distribution of licences and that he will give due attention to the difficulties that are evident.
The difficulties are, of course, that there are too many cattle for the number of licences to be issued.
Is it not so that if a person feels aggrieved in respect of his failure to secure a licence for export, and he communicates his grievance to the Minister, it will be investigated?
Yes.
Any complaint addressed to the Minister's Department that a person entitled to licences has not got them has been investigated?
An officer of my Department attends meetings of those responsible for the distribution of licences, and has satisfied himself that the licences are fairly distributed amongst producers.
If any grievance is brought to the Minister's notice, it is given adequate investigation?
Yes.
Mr. Brennan
My point is that we have no way of ventilating our grievances because there is nobody at whom we can get. There is no one to approach.
On the question of allocation the Minister is ignoring a fundamental right, the right of the producer to sell. What right has any other man to secure a licence?
The producer does get a licence.
The salesman has not the article to sell: he has to find it.
The producer gets the licence.
Only at the will of the salesmasters.
Under the system that operates the producer gets the full value of his beast. If I were to make any other rule, Deputies might say that the exporter was not getting his price.