asked the Taoiseach the amount of rails exported in the past three months, staling in the case of each separate export the value thereof, the origin of the rails, and their destination.
7.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Export of Rails.
5.
asked the Taoiseach the quantity and value of rails exported during the past three months, the name of each port of shipment and the quantity shipped through each port; whether these rails were offered for sale to native industrialists, and the origin of these rails; and whether these rails will be classed as an industrial export.
I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 7 and 5 together and to circulate in the Official Report a statement showing the total quantity and value of railway rails exported in the three months August-October, 1960, indicating the port of shipment and destination of the exports.
The export documents do not indicate whether the rails in question were used or not and, apart from the consignor's name, no further data about their origin or whether they were offered for sale to Irish industrialists are available. It is not the practice of this Office to furnish particulars of individual external trade transactions and the names of the consignors cannot, therefore, be given. This Office does not prepare a total of "industrial exports" and the transactions in question have been classified to Class III— Other Raw Materials and Manufactured Goods; Group (D)—Metalliferous Ore and Metals (excluding Cutlery and Machinery); Chapter 2— Metal Unwrought and Wrought, Export List Number 322-10, Iron and Steel—Railway Rails.
Following is the statement:—
DOMESTIC Exports of Railway Rails in the period August-October, 1960.
|
Country of Destination |
Port |
Quantity |
Value |
|
cwt. |
£ |
||
|
Great Britain |
Dublin |
5,000 |
5,013 |
|
Federation of Malaya |
Lifford Road |
27,140 |
27,511 |
|
TOTAL |
32,140 |
32,524 |
Would the Parliamentary Secretary tell me if these rails were offered for sale by public tender?
That is a separate question.
It is down here in the Question.
I stated in the reply that no further data about their origin or whether they were offered for sale by tender are available.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary trying to cover up a sale that was not a sale?
I am answering the Question that was asked. The information is not available in the Statistics Office.
I consider this most unsatisfactory and, with your permission, Sir, I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment tonight.
I shall communicate with the Deputy.
6.
asked the Taoiseach what was the quantity and value of rails exported recently through the port of Cork; if these rails were secondhand; where in this country they had been in use; and to what country they were exported.
There were no reports of railway rails through the port of Cork in the period January to October, 1960. Detailed export statistics for November, 1960, are not yet available.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that he was asked for information to the latest date available and I am sure the figures for November are available. There were such exports through the port of Cork on 28th November and will the Parliamentary Secretary now tell us what the amounts of these exports were?
Detailed figures for the month of November are not yet available.
Is it not true that if the figures are not available to the Statistics Office, they may be available to the Minister for Industry and Commerce?
What have the Department of Industry and Commerce to do with it?
Are certain exports not subject to licence? If these were exported under licence, would that information not be available to the Department of Industry and Commerce? It is a quite regular practice to indicate that if information is not available through the Statistics Office, it may be available in the Department of Industry and Commerce.
Even if export licences were required, the rails need not have been exported in November, through Cork.
I am quite aware that the Taoiseach can chop logic with me but the Minister for Industry and Commerce, if he liked, could furnish the information as he is a Cork Deputy. Of course, if he did not want to do so, he could find an excellent reason for not doing it.
The Minister for Industry and Commerce would have issued the licence for the export of these rails and I want to ask: would he not be aware that they were exported?
That is a separate question.