asked the Minister for Finance if he has received an application for a turf-removing licence on behalf of the Dublin Corporation, who have accepted an offer of 500 tons of turf to be delivered in Dublin at 50/- per ton; if he will say if the licence has been issued or will be issued at an early date; further, if he will say whether any other public board in Dublin has applied for a similar licence; and, if so, with what result.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Turf-removal Licence.
Mr. Byrne
The application referred to is apparently one that was received from the Housing and Supplies Department of the Dublin Corporation on 3rd December, 1941, in respect of 500 tons of turf. The application did not state the price at which the turf was to be bought. Inquiries subsequently made of the corporation elicited the information that it was intended for general heating purposes.
Similar applications had been received on the 18th October, 1941, and 29th November, 1941, from the same department and were refused.
The circumstances in this case do not appear to differ in any respect from those of numerous similar applications from firms and establishments in non-turf areas requiring turf for the heating of premises. The policy of the Government is to make provision for the needs of such consumers out of the total stocks of fuel available in non-turf areas; and for this reason the application of the Dublin Corporation was not granted.
Applications of the same kind from the Dublin Board of Assistance on 27th June, 1941, and 26th August, 1941, were also refused. It was stated in reply to a question by the Deputy on the 3rd December, 1941, that the prohibition on the removal of turf from the scheduled turf areas except under licence is part of the policy decided on by the Government, as explained to the Dáil by the Parliamentary Secretary in the debate on the adjournment on 30th October, 1941.