asked the Taoiseach if he will state in respect of the financial years 1948-49 and 1949-50 (1) estimated savings as a percentage of estimated national income; (2) estimated volume of private investment within the State; (3) estimated value of imports of capital goods; (4) estimated trade deficit; (5) estimated capital expenditure from American Loan Counterpart Fund; (6) estimated capital expenditure from other public funds; and (7) estimated foreign investment within the State.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Financial Information.
An inquiry is at present being made into national income, national expenditure and cognate matters, the results of which are expected to be available next year. The material which is in course of preparation will cover the subjects mentioned at (1), (2) and (6) of the Deputy's question.
Imports of producers' capital goods ready for use in the calendar year 1948 amounted to £14,717,000. It is estimated that the value of such imports during the financial year 1949-50 will be of the same order.
The excess of imports over exports during the financial year 1948-49 was £80,966,000. As regards the financial year 1949-50 the published trade statistics for the months of April to October inclusive show that the trade deficit for those seven months was £39,220,000.
There was no expenditure from the American Loan Counterpart Fund in the financial year 1948-49. Expenditure from the fund in the financial year 1949-50 is estimated at £2,250,000.
The only particulars available as to foreign investment within the State are the estimates which appear at items 5 and 9 of the statement of the balance of international payments for the year 1948 which was published in the June, 1949, issue of the Irish Trade Journal and Statistical Bulletin.