asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will furnish a table indicating the allocation of newsprint (a) imported from abroad, (b) produced at home, among the different newspapers in the country; and if he will state the basis upon which such allocations have been made.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Allocations of Newsprint.
I am not prepared to give the allocations of home-produced newsprint to individual newspapers. These allocations were made on a basis of equating, as far as possible, the lasting period of those newspapers whose stock of newsprint was least favourable relative to their known or permitted rate of user of newsprint, and with a view to maintaining the maximum amount of employment in the newspaper industry.
No allocation of newsprint imported from abroad has yet been made by my Department.
Can the Minister say if there is an equitable distribution over all the newspapers?
As I have explained in reply to the Deputy's question, the paper produced at home, which is only a small quantity, was allocated so as to ensure as far as we could that the stocks of all newspapers would enable them to continue to the same date. In other words, the allocation was based on the stocks which they were known to possess already, and their permitted user.