asked the Minister for Agriculture whether, in view of the recent intimation that a further delay will ensue before the report of the Milk Costings Commission becomes available, and in view of the greatly increased cost of labour and feeding stuffs, and the increases in the cost of living and local rates since the commission was set up, he will now grant an interim increase to milk producers.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Milk Costings Commission.
I would refer the Deputy to the reply which I gave to a question on 23rd February, 1956, in the course of which I intimated that the Government, having given careful consideration to representations made for an interim increase in the price of milk pending the receipt of the report of the committee on milk production costs, regretted that they could not accede to the request and indicated that a decision in regard to milk prices must be postponed until the report is received.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, in view of the fact that this answer was prepared before the Minister realised that he no longer had a mandate from the electorate would he now change his antagonistic dairy farming policy?
As I have not to hand a suitable quotation from Edmund Burke with which to reply to that, I shall not retort.
The Minister is "flummoxed".
When Edmund Burke is quoted from these benches anything could happen.
He was a very respectable man.
It is late in the day the Deputy is discovering that.