asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he is aware that bellmen in Dublin have been refused supplies of coal by the fuel merchants and if he will state what action it is proposed to take to make fuel available to these bellmen, who are the main suppliers in working-class areas.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fuel for Bellmen.
I am not aware that bellmen in Dublin have been refused supplies of coal by the fuel merchants. My information is that special arrangements have been made to give priority to their orders.
I should like to report to the House that bellmen who have been in the habit of receiving up to 20 tons a week from coal merchants were cut down last week to two tons. This has caused great hardship to the poor people in working-class districts who rely on the bellmen for their supplies. I should like to draw the attention of the Parliamentary Secretary to a reply by the Minister for Defence to a question some little time ago to the effect that the Army have ordered coal in excess of their requirements. I suggest that he should try and find out who is responsible for the scarcity that has occurred in Dublin during the past week.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the small retailers throughout the country are not getting their supplies from the merchants?
It may be that there has been some delay in meeting the needs of the bellmen but, at this time of the year, people ordering even directly from the fuel merchants experience delay. It is quite likely that the reference to the fact that there is an anticipated shortage has encouraged everyone to stock at the same time. The result is that both the fuel merchants and the bellmen are inundated with orders. In fact, however, they are getting ample supplies and the dumps in the Phoenix Park are available. If everybody orders at the same time it is quite obvious that the bellmen and the fuel merchants will find difficulty in meeting the situation.