Speaking on this Bill previous to the adjournment for questions, I had just said that the previous Government in October, 1947, took steps, and very definite steps, to halt the increase, to stabilise the cost of living at that time, so much so that their predecessors took it that the index from that period on was to be based on the cost of living as then stabilised by the Fianna Fáil Government in October, 1947, as a result of the Supplementary Budget at that time. The general election took place a short time afterwards, and the groups that now form the Coalition, or some of them, made promises during the election campaign that if elected they would take off the taxes imposed by the Fianna Fáil Government in 1947 in the Supplementary Budget.
The Coalition proceeded to do that and reduced the taxes on beer, spirits, champagne, cinemas, dog racing, and so on. We had great glee and satisfaction in all the groups that formed the Coalition because of that. We had the Labour Party taking a major part in the glee and satisfaction there was in this House and in the country because the price of beer was reduced. I am just wondering if they still have the same view. Would it not be well to-day irrespective of the source of those taxes, if this Government had £6,000,000 or £8,000,000 at their disposal to hold and stabilise again the prices of essential commodities? They are incapable of doing it by any other means. I put that to Deputy Larkin of the Labour Party. Would it not be sound national policy in the present day? I am sure that the people who depend on wages in Deputy O'Leary's home town or any portion of his constituency will tell him that it is much more important for them that the necessaries of life should be made available at a price they can afford to pay than to have cheap beer, cheap champagne, cheap cinemas, cheap dog racing, and lower income tax. That is the policy of the present Government— to make all these things available at lower prices.
It is no advantage to the ordinary worker or to those families who depend on a limited amount of money for their provisions to tell them that the Government propose to freeze prices at their present level. What is the use of freezing the price of fuel? Is there any use in freezing the price of bacon, one of the commodities about which the people are very dissatisfied? The price of bacon has been forced up unjustifiably and unreasonably by the Minister for Agriculture within the past six or nine months. What have the Government done about it? They cheered and shouted for the Minister when he was filibustering on the Border with bacon pigs for three weeks and shifting them out of this country. The result is that bacon has gone up. unreasonably and unnecessarily by 4d. to 6d. per lb. within the past fortnight. What is the use in talking about this committee halting a rise in the price of essentials? It can do nothing about it and if the small sprat in the shape of the committees suggested in the Bill satisfies the Labour Party, more luck to them, but I have no doubt that it will not satisfy the householders, the wage earner, and the poorer sections of the community who must depend on a limited amount of money for the provision of the necessaries of life.
There was much talk here from the Government side about what Fianna Fáil did about halting prices and about the inadequacy of the original Act. I say definitely here that the Government did not use in any single respect the powers which were available to halt prices over the past three years. Will the Parliamentary Secretary tell me the number of Orders they made fixing the price of essential commodities in the past three years? Will he tell me any respect in which the Government took action to reduce the prices of essential commodities? Will he tell me the number of officers of his Department who have been actively operating to see that any price Orders in operation are carried out? Will he tell me the number of prosecutions which took place for non-compliance with price Orders? Will he tell me the number of convictions set aside by the Department of Justice, the number of fines reduced, and the number of jail sentences set aside, by the Minister for breaches of these price Orders and regulations since the Government came in? Will the Labour Party, through its leader, Deputy Larkin, tell me why in the past three years they have not sought to force the Government to make law the Industrial Efficiency and Prices Bill of 1947?