asked the Minister for Local Government if he will state why the only contractor for waterproof clothing on the official list supplied by his Department to local authorities for the year 1952/53 was a firm outside the State.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Contract for Supply of Waterproof Clothing.
The firm in question submitted the only tender received for the supply of suitable waterproof clothing.
Will the Minister say why he did not have included in the list a note to the effect that any local authority buying the material from that firm would also have to pay duty?
That is another matter.
Am I to understand from the Minister that there was no tender from any Irish firm for his contract?
I have used the word "suitable."
Perhaps the Minister—
I will read the reply again.
There is no need. I heard the reply. I think we are entitled to know the reason. There must be some rather strange reason if we have no firm in this country that could tender for waterproof clothing for these workers.
I did not make that statement. I said that, so far as 1952 was concerned, no suitable tender was made for that year. For the year 1953/54, that is not the position.
I know. May I suggest and submit with respect to the Minister that that is not giving the House the sort of information to which I think we are entitled? "Not suitable" might mean any of 20 or 30 different things. It seems rather strange that——
The Deputy may take it, surely to mean this. There was some objection to the material—to the effectiveness of the article in question.
Could the Minister explain why local authorities were not informed by the Combined Purchasing Section of his Department that if they accepted the recommendation of his Department they would be liable to pay substantial duty?
I cannot give the Deputy any information on that matter. The Deputy can take it, however, that if an Irish firm was tendering for the supply of articles of this nature, everything would be done to ensure that such tender would be accepted if it were suitable in every respect. It was found in one case that the article did not give satisfaction and, therefore, a tender in that case would not be regarded as suitable or satisfactory.
That is not the question which I asked the Minister. I asked the Minister why he did not inform local authorities that if they carried out the advice of his Department they would have to pay substantial duty.
I cannot give the Deputy any information on that matter.
Can the Minister give me any information on this? Can the Minister tell me whether, if a local authority wishes to purchase articles of this nature from an Irish firm which is not on the Combined Purchasing Section's list, that authority is bound not to do so? Is it not a fact that the local authority must buy from the list circulated by the Minister and that if it buys from anywhere else, it will be surcharged——
That is so.
——and that the Minister, by only putting a foreign firm on this list, was imposing a 50 per cent. disability on the ratepayers of any local authority who required to buy this class of material?
I put on the list the name of a contractor who was in a position to supply the commodity that the local authority and the workers required. That was the only matter that came into consideration as far as I was concerned.
I take it, therefore, that the position is that whilst no Irish firm is in a position to supply the materials specified, nevertheless the local authority is compelled to pay duty on the imported article.
That is entirely another matter.
It is entirely true.
A number of complaints were received from local bodies because of the unsatisfactory material that was being supplied.
We are not blaming the Minister for that.
As a result of an examination which was conducted by my Department, we were satisfied that there were good grounds for that general attitude on the part of the local bodies. For the year mentioned, therefore, we only received a tender from one firm that was in a position to offer suitable materials. That is not the position for this year, for the year 1953-54.
Is the Minister aware that, as a result of the fact that he designated only this one firm outside the State—I do not wish to mention names in this House—as being the official contractor for this type of material, the Kildare County Council were forced to place an order with that firm and, as a result of being so forced, the Minister for Finance is collecting from the ratepayers of County Kildare a sum of £619 in duty because the council carried out the directions of the Minister?
I have nothing to do with the imposition of duties.
Will the Minister agree that these facts were set out to the Minister on the 14th January last
Even if I were——
Of course, to-morrow the Tánaiste and I will have a discussion on this matter.