asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state whether he is aware that owing to the shortage of petrol, a much greater use is being at present made of horses for haulage in the City of Dublin, and that the reduction of the oats available in the city to 75 per cent. of last year's purchases is a source of very great hardship to animals in the city and of distress to their owners, and if he will state whether he proposes to increase the amount of oats for animal forage for Dublin City immediately.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin City Animal Forage.
I am not aware that there has been any shortage of oats generally for horses in Dublin City. In individual cases where shortages were established to the satisfaction of the Cereals Distribution Committee, increased allocations were made. There is, therefore, no need at present to increase the amount of oats for animal forage for Dublin City.
Do we understand that applications for increased allocations will be received by the Minister?
And have been received.
And that they will be received?
Yes, and have been in all cases attended to.
Has that been made known generally throughout the city to people who supply oats?
As a matter of fact, everybody who is a buyer of oats is supposed to know the law and should apply to the Cereals Distribution Committee.
Is the Minister aware that there are people who have been regular suppliers of oats, and who as a result of this reduction to 75 per cent., have no more oats now in the beginning of February to supply their customers to enable them to keep their animals going for the next month?
I do not think that is true.
Are we to understand that these people can report to the Minister?
Is not the Minister aware that the Cereals Distribution Committee, if you apply to them for oats for a horse, will reply to you that under the Minister's order persons owning horses are entitled to buy oats themselves, and that if you then reply: "We know that, but we cannot get oats at the price fixed by the Minister and the horse is starving," the next reply of the committee is: "We do not know." Am I to understand that they will supply the man with sufficient to keep the horse going at the fixed price?
So far, they have not been up against that problem, and there is no horse starving in Dublin.
I can assure the Minister that he is wrong. I am not making any complaint about the committee's approach to the problem, but so far as I am aware their first reaction is that it is none of their business, and that a person can buy oats himself.
Ministerial replies may not be debated.
Will the committee undertake to feed the horse for which the owner cannot get oats?
They cannot undertake that.
Will the Minister take steps to see that whatever scheme is operated at the present time will not also operate to transfer business from people who have been normally in the business to other people: that it will not mean taking business away from one set of people who would normally carry it on and placing it in the hands of others?