Skip to main content
Normal View

Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 2 Dec 1958

Vol. 171 No. 10

Written Answers. - National Nutrition Survey.

asked the Taoiseach if he will give an estimate in respect of the National Nutrition Survey of 1946, Part VI, of the amount of money required per head to purchase each of the food items in the several classifications listed on page 30, Table 2C; and if he will calculate the expenditure now required to equal the purchasing power of the amounts listed on page 34, Table 3C.

The detail of the composition of most of the commodity groups in Table 2C (page 30) of Part VI of the National Nutrition Survey is not available. It is not possible, there fore, to estimate their value at current prices since, for instance, it cannot be stated how much of the group "Fats" consists of butter, margarine, lard, etc. in the case of families of each category. It is however possible to state, on the assumption that the change in the level of retail food prices had the same effect on the food expenditure of the families in question as it had on the food expenditure of all families in small towns in the survey, that the estimates of the total value of such food expenditure at prices ruling in August, 1958 (the latest date for which information was available) for each group were:—

Status of head of family

s.

d.

Unemployed less than 3 months

13

1

Unemployed 3 months or more

11

5

Widow with Pension

19

1

Old Age Pensioner

18

0

All Families

14

10

asked the Taoiseach if he will state in respect of the National Nutrition Survey of 1946 the estimated amount of money now required to equal each of the amounts listed in Table 10, page 15, of Part VI of the Survey.

The following table shows the estimated values, at the national average retail prices, in mid-August, 1958 (the latest date for which the information is available) of the quantities of food listed in Table 9 (page 14) of Part VI of the National Nutrition Survey, 1946-48 in respect of which comparable prices are available from the Consumer Prices Index. Table 10 (page 15) values these items at the prices ruling at the time of the survey (1946-48). This estimation has been carried out by reference to the detailed commodity listing such as that given in Tables 4A, 4B and 4C, pages 30-35 of Part I of the National Nutrition Survey Report.

Some of the commodity groups shown in Tables 9 and 10 contain items which are not priced in the Consumer Price Index and these items have been omitted in deriving the estimated values at 1958 prices. The items for which estimates of the price have been made account for 13/1 of the total expenditure of 14/8 per diet head per week at 1946-48 prices in Ireland. Corresponding figures are shown in the table for each of the different areas.

For particulars of the prices used for the different items and for the items for which it was not possible to estimate a price from the Consumer Price Index I would refer the Deputy to my written reply to a somewhat similar question by Deputy Norton on 20th November, 1957.

It must be emphasised that the prices used are the national average prices for retail purchase in shops and are uniform throughout the estimation. Furthermore it should be noted that much of the dietary of farming families, farm labourers' families and families living in the congested districts is not purchased retail but represents the direct consumption of agricultural produce without any sale process.

ESTIMATED values at the national average retail prices at mid-August, 1958, of the quantities of food (with certain omissions) listed in Table 9, Part VI of the National Nutrition Survey, 1946-48.

Commodity Group

Dublin

Large Towns

Small Towns

Farming families

Farm labourers' families

Congested Districts

Ireland

s.

d.

s.

d.

s.

d.

s.

d.

s.

d.

s.

d.

s.

d.

Milk†

2

2

2

2

2

3

3

3

1

11

2

0

2

7

Cheese

3

3

2

1

2

1

2

Eggs

1

7

1

4

1

7

2

4

1

2

1

7

1

10

Fats

2

3

2

3

2

1

3

1

2

1

1

11

2

7

Meat†

6

0

5

5

5

1

6

2

3

10

2

7

5

6

Fish†

5

3

4

3

2

4

4

Flour and Bread†

3

6

3

10

3

5

3

3

3

1

3

8

3

5

Other cereals†

10

8

5

7

4

6

7

Potatoes including chips

1

6

1

11

2

1

3

0

2

5

3

10

2

6

Vegetables†

5

5

4

3

3

2

4

Fruit and fruit products†

10

7

7

6

4

2

7

Sugar

6

4

6

5

6

5

5

Preserves

5

6

6

6

6

3

6

Miscellaneous†

1

2

1

1

1

2

1

Total

20

9

20

1

19

5

23

9

16

10

17

8

21

5

Value of items accounted for above at 1946 -48 prices

12

6

12

3

12

2

15

2

10

8

9

3

13

1

Total expenditure in Table 10 at 1946-48 prices

14

1

13

6

13

6

17

0

11

5

11

0

14

8

†Omitting items for which no price was available from the Consumer Price Index.

Top
Share