asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the number of licences issued by his Department for the importation of cutlery during the past year, and the number of pieces of cutlery imported on each licence.
Ceisteanna—Question. Oral Answers. - Licence for Importation of Cutlery.
11.
If the Deputy has in mind the issue of licences permitting the importation of cutlery without payment of duty, such licences are issued by the Revenue Commissioners on the basis of recommendations made by my Department. During the past year, one licence was recommended for issue by my Department in respect of cutlery for commercial use other than aluminium spoons and forks. This licence covered stainless steel cutlery of a specialised nature not available from home manufacturers. I am not in a position to state the number of pieces of cutlery imported under the licence.
Would the Minister state if this licence was issued to one of our new industrialists?
No.
Will the Minister state if his Department investigated the matter and actually gave a decision on it that cutlery from the Irish factories was not good enough for the people who imported this cutlery?
In effect, it was a decision of the manufacturers here. They were asked to supply the specialised cutlery and each said they could not do so.
I should be interested to know what type of specialised cutlery would be required.
What was the value of the cutlery import?
It is not the practice of the Revenue Commissioners to disclose such information.
Would it be in the category of a relatively minor import?
They were utilitarian types of cutlery.
My information is that this was one of the new industrialists who is buying everything for himself with the Irish people's money.
The firm involved is a very old one.