asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state (a) the present tariffs on the import of altars, statues, missals, breviaries, rosaries and vestments, and how long they have been in force, (b) to what extent such tariffs have helped industries in this country that manufacture the goods in question, and (c) how the prices of the home manufactured articles compare with the prices of the imported goods, inclusive of duty.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Tariffs on Religious Goods.
(a) Altars and statues, if made from stone or marble, are subject to the customs duty on articles of stone or marble at the rate of 100 per cent. (full), 66? per cent. (preferential) — reference 236/1 of the customs and excise tariff. This duty was imposed in 1932 and extended in scope in 1935. Statues of plaster of paris or papier mâché are subject to a customs duty of 75 per cent. (full), 50 per cent. (preferential) — reference 233/2 of the custom and excise tariff. This duty was imposed in 1933.
Missals and breviaries are subject to a customs duty on certain religious books of 30 per cent. (flat) — reference 27 of the customs and excise tariff. The duty was imposed in 1935.
Rosaries are subject to a customs duty of 37½ per cent. (full), 25 per cent. (preferential) or ¾d. (full), ½d. (preferential), per length of 10 beads, whichever is the greater — reference 185/2 of the customs and excise tariff. The duty was imposed in 1927 and the rate was altered in 1934 and in 1938.
Vestments are subject to the customs duty of 75 per cent. (full), 50 per cent. (preferential, United Kingdom and Canada), on wearing apparel — reference 57/10 of the customs and excise tariff. The duty was imposed in 1932, but the rate was altered on a number of occasions, the last alteration being in 1951.
(b) Except in the case of marble and plaster statues, output of which in 1952 was valued at £81,650, particulars of home production are not shown separately in the census of production figures published by the Central Statistics Office for any of the items mentioned; and employment figures are not published separately for any of these goods. In the circumstances, it is not possible to give an indication as to how production and employment have been helped by the duties. A review of the industries producing articles of stone and marble and statues of plaster of paris is being undertaken by the Industrial Development Authority and notices to that effect have been published by the authority.
(c) Information as to how the home manufacturers' prices compare with the duty paid prices of imported goods is not at present available. It is intended that all the duties referred to will in due course be reviewed by the Industrial Development Authority.
Is the Minister aware that many of the firms here which are protected in order to produce many of the items I have mentioned are not able to cater for the home market at present, and, in view of that fact, would the Minister consider revising these regulations and tariffs?
I might remind the Deputy that last year I decided, because of this and other considerations, to ask the Industrial Development Authority to review all these tariffed industries. This is one of the industries which will come under review and matters such as those adverted to by the Deputy will be considered specifically by the Industrial Development Authority when they come to consider the position in each of the industries.