asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will remove the restrictions on the sale and purchase of shot-gun cartridges, as farmers' crops have been attacked to a very great extent by birds and ground vermin which are rapidly increasing and shopkeepers have stated that they have in stock a supply of cartridges which cannot now be disposed of because of the restrictions.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sale of Shot-gun Cartridges.
It would be undesirable at present to remove the restrictions referred to, which were originally imposed so as to ensure that farmers would obtain a proportion of the limited supplies of cartridges available. The restrictions will be removed at the very earliest moment when the supply of raw materials for the manufacture of cartridges justifies it. I am not aware that shopkeepers generally have supplies of cartridges which they cannot dispose of owing to the restrictions.