asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the value of the exports of hand-woven tweeds to (a) Great Britain, (b) to the United States and (c) other countries since the 6th August, 1948.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Export of Tweeds.
Particulars of exports are entered in accordance with the descriptions in the Official Export List which does not provide a separate heading for hand-woven tweed. Any exports of hand-woven tweed are brought to account under the heading "Woollen tissues—all wool," of which the f.o.b. value of exports during the period August, 1948-March, 1949, inclusive was (a) £126,900 to Great Britain, (b) £3,516 to the United States and (c) £53,875 to other countries. Particulars of exports are not compiled for shorter periods than the calendar month.
Is the Minister satisfied that the market which he indicated would be available in Britain when he spoke on the Anglo-Irish Trade Agreement last August, for £150,000 to £250,000 worth of hand-woven tweeds and homespuns, has been made available? Have the Minister's hopes in that respect been fulfilled?
What I indicated then, and what was the fact, was that the British Government had agreed to allow goods to that value into the British market, if a sale could be got for them there.
The Minister has not answered my question, whether the expectations that he held out, in recommending the Anglo-Irish Trade Agreement to the House on the ground that it would provide a market for Irish homespuns and hand-woven tweeds, have been fulfilled. I should like to ask him also whether he agrees with the statement made by the Minister for Lands in the Dáil last week, when he said that there was virtually no market here now for Irish homespuns. He went on to say that in spite of all their efforts, the Department had been unsuccessful in finding a market there to sell either homespuns or hand-woven tweeds. Furthermore, does the Minister agree with his colleague that there is no hope "in the near future or even in the distant future of disposing of 120,000 yards of excellent homespuns which we have now in the Gaeltarra Éireann depot"?
The Minister may be questioned only on the Department for which he is responsible. He is not responsible for the Department of a colleague.
May I say, in regard to the first part of the supplementary question, that the Deputy is aware, of course, that hand-woven tweeds were not allowed into Britain before the agreement of last year was made? The Deputy is aware that there was a certain parcel post trade which, according to the British, was illegal. Under the agreement which was made last year the British agreed to let in through the ordinary trade channels hand-woven tweeds to the value the Deputy has mentioned. Unfortunately, we were not able to induce or to compel British traders to buy hand-woven tweed to that extent. The point is that the gate was open.