asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the total reduction in the flour subsidy due to increased receipts by flour millers, resulting from the increase in the price of home produced wheaten offals to the price of imported offals, in the period from September, 1954, to January, 1957; and whether, in view of the grave position in regard to both poultry and egg prices and the alarming reduction of 25 per cent. in pig production since 1954, he is prepared to reconsider the question of the penal imposition on pig producers brought about by this increase.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Price of Wheaten Offals.
I would refer the Deputy to the reply given to a previous question on this subject in Dáil Éireann on the 24th April. I do not think I can usefully add anything to what I said on that occasion beyond stating that the figure the Deputy seeks is £1,091,000 being the difference between the two sums mentioned in my previous reply.
The Deputy is probably aware that the ex-mill price of offals has recently been reduced by £2 per ton, following on a fall in the price of imported offals.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the effect of a reduction of 12s. 6d. per barrel of home grown wheat on the economic price of wheat offals.
Offals are only a by-product of the milling of flour and the accounts of flour millers do not show separately the cost of the offals sold by them.
The economic price of home produced wheat offals is the price which they will fetch in free competition with imported offals which is not determined by the price of the wheat from which the offals are derived.
In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the Minister's reply, it is my intention to raise the subject-matter of Questions 8 and 9 on to-day's Order Paper and Questions 3 and 4 on the Order Paper for Tuesday, 26th March, 1957.
The Deputy will be booted out.
Not at all.
I shall communicate with the Deputy on the matter.