asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he is aware that a circular issued by the Petroleum Employers' Association to the General President of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union and by at least one individual company to its employees pointed out that measures which are in contemplation for the restriction of privately owned road vehicles may be regarded as indications that already pressure is being exerted towards a diversion of traffic from road to rail and that this statement was issued with a view to reducing employment on lorries by dismissing helpers and, if so, if he will now indicate whether these companies have authority to state that such measures are in contemplation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Road and Rail Traffic.
The restriction of private road transport was among the proposals made to me by the Board of C.I.E. in response to my request for their suggestions as to what action should be taken to ensure more traffic for them and thus help to relieve their financial difficulties.
During the course of the debate in Dáil Éireann on 16th July, 1952, and on subsequent occasions in reply to questions I indicated that while I was by no means attracted to these proposals, I felt bound to investigate fully the reaction to them. The comments received from commercial and industrial interests have in the main been highly critical.
Restrictions of this kind could not be imposed without amending legislationand no decision has been taken by the Government to introduce such legislation.
I suppose we may take it, then, that these companies had no authority to issue a statement like they did?
They certainly had no reason to hold out that legislation was in contemplation.