asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he is aware that a price of 70/- per barrel has been fixed for malting barley in Northern Ireland and Great Britain, and whether he will state what price will be payable for similar barley in Eire this season.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Malting Barley.
The price to be paid for barley of the 1942 harvest is at present under consideration and will be announced at an early date. As regards the first part of the Deputy's question, I must refer him to my reply to his similar question of Wednesday, 15th April.
On that occasion the Minister said he would not allow his mind to be influenced by anything happening outside Éire.
That is right.
I want to know will the farmers of this country get as much for their malting barley as their neighbours across the water, or to put it in another way, will the brewers be constrained to pay the same price to Irish farmers for first-class malting barley that the British and Northern Ireland Governments are making them pay to farmers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the same class of barley, or are the brewers to be allowed to buy barley cheaper from our farmers than they buy it from the farmers of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The answer is yes and no.
It is the like of the answers you have been giving for the last few years and signs on it.
The Chair does not reply to questions.
Is not that a lovely answer?
The Chair has not given any answers. I presume that Deputies in using the second person refer to the Chair.