Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cost-of-Living Index—Price Increases. – Dáil Éireann (15th Dáil) – Thursday, 3 Mar 1955

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cost-of-Living Index—Price Increases.

Mr. Briscoe

asked the Taoiseach if he will state each item contained in the cost-of-living index together with the prices charged to consumers in each case on 2nd June, 1954, and as at the nearest date to mid-February, 1955.

Messrs. McGrath

andJ. Lynch asked the Taoiseach if he will indicate the essential household commodities, food, etc., which have increased in price since 2nd June, 1954, and the amount of the increase in each case.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach (Mr. O'Sullivan)

I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together and, in reply, to circulate in the Official Report a statement showing the national average retail prices at mid-May, 1954, and mid-November, 1954, of foodstuffs included in the consumer price index. The data for mid-February, 1955, are not yet available.

As regards the complete list of items included in the compilation of the consumer price index number I would refer the Deputy to pages 227-228 of the December, 1953, issue of the Irish Trade Journal and Statistical Bulletin or to my written reply to Deputy Ó Briain's question, yesterday.

In the case of items other than foodstuffs, the national average retail prices have little significance as they are based on the prices of articles (e.g. men's suits) of often widely varying quality—though, of course, the same qualities are priced at successive inquiries.

For this reason such prices are not quoted in the case of non-food items. For a comparison of the ratios of such prices at mid-May, 1954, and mid-November, 1954, to the corresponding prices at mid-August, 1953, I would refer the Deputy to the already-mentioned written reply to Deputy Ó Briain's question.

Following is the statement:—

NATIONAL Average Retail Prices of Foodstuffs included in the Consumer Price Index, mid-May and mid-November, 1954.

Article	Per	Average Price to nearest ¼d.
Mid-May,	Mid-Nov.,
1954	1954
		s.	d.	s.	d.
Beef:
Round steak	lb.	3	0¼	3	0
Sirloin	,,	3	3¼	3	2¼
Rib	,,	2	8½	2	8¼
Shoulder	,,	2	4¾	2	3¾
Neck	,,	2	2	2	1½
Corned brisket	,,	1	11½	1	10½
Liver	,,	2	3	2	2¼
Mutton:
Leg	,,	3	2¼	3	0½
Loin chops	,,	3	7½	3	7¼
Neck	,,	2	2¼	2	2
Shoulder	,,	2	8¼	2	7½
Fillet	,,	3	4	3	4
Bacon:
Irish, streaky	lb.	3	11¾	3	7½
Irish, shoulder	,,	2	6	2	3¾
Pigs' heads	,,	1	1½	1	0½
Ham, uncooked	,,	3	11½	3	8¼
Ham, cooked	,,	6	2½	5	11½
Rashers, streaky	,,	4	0¾	3	9
Fresh pork, shoulder	,,	3	4¼	3	4
Pork sausages	,,	2	7¾	2	5½
Fish—Whiting	,,	1	9¼	1	8¼
Cod steak	,,	2	7¼	2	8
Eggs, 1st Grade, Hen*	doz.	2	6¾	6	3½
Butter:
Irish Creamery	lb.	4	2	3	9
,,Farmers'	,,	3	7½	3	4½
Margarine	,,	1	7	1	7
Cheese	,,	2	9¾	2	10
Lard	,,	1	7½	1	7¼
Fresh milk*	quart	0	9¾	0	11¼
Bread	2 lb. loaf	0	9	0	9
Flour—household	14 lbs.	4	2½	4	2¼
Oatmeal	,,	8	5¾	8	6¾
Potatoes*	,,	2	1	2	5½
Cabbage	head	0	4¾	0	7
Onions	lb.	0	6¾	0	9
Oranges	,,	0	11½	1	0
Tomatoes	,,	1	5½	1	9¾
Tea—best	,,	5	11¾	6	2¼
—As used by wage-earning classes	,,	4	10	4	11½
Sugar	,,	0	7	0	7
Jam—Strawberry	,,	1	9	1	9
Mixed Fruit	,,	1	2¼	1	2¼
Marmalade	,,	1	6¼	1	6¼
Boiling Fowl	,,	2	3	2	5
Kippered herring	doz.	4	4¼	4	4¼
Fresh herring	lb.	0	9¾	0	9½
Tinned Salmon	½ lb.	2	10¼	2	10
Condensed milk, Irish, full cream	1 lb. tin	1	3¼	1	3¼
Cake	lb.	2	5¼	2	4¾
Rice	,,	1	2¾	1	1¾
Semolina	,,	1	0	1	0
Carrots	,,	0	5½	0	7¼
Dried peas	,,	1	3¾	1	4
Cooking apples	,,	0	9	0	7¼
Sultanas	,,	1	2¼	1	2¼
Tinned pears	1 lb. tin	2	4¾	2	4¾
Tinned beans in tomato sauce	,,	1	2¾	1	2¼
Coffee	lb.	6	0½	6	5
Cocoa	¼ lb. pkt.	0	10	0	11¾
Cornflour	½ lb. pkt.	0	10¾	0	10½
Custard powder	,,	0	10¼	0	10
Salt (table)	pkt.	0	7	0	7
Mustard	tin	0	10¾	0	10¾
Sauce	bottle	1	2¾	1	2½
Boiled sweets	lb.	2	5¾	2	5¾
Bar of chocolate	each	0	11¾	1	0
Biscuits	lb.	2	2½	2	2½
Jellies	pkt.	0	9	0	9
Soft drinks	bottle	0	6½	0	6¾
Breakfast cereals	pkt.	1	2½	1	2¼

*Not corrected for seasonality.

Dáil Éireann debate - Thursday, 3 Mar 1955