asked the Taoiseach why Trade and Shipping Statistics 1960 was not printed and published until September 1963; and if he will have steps taken to ensure that in future such statistics are printed and published within six months of the last year to which they refer.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Trade and Shipping Statistics.
1.
Mr. Ryan
Considerable efforts are being made to bring up to date the issues of the Annual Trade and Shipping Statistics. In fact, three such volumes, those relating to 1958, 1959 and 1960, have been published in the past twelve months and it is intended that the time lag in publication will be further considerably reduced in the future. I cannot, however, promise that it will be possible to publish such an annual report within six months of the last year to which it refers.
A major difficulty is occasioned by the time taken in printing such a large document, which averaged just under twelve months for each of the three volumes in question, and was even greater in the case of preceding issues. Furthermore, in the allocation of a relatively limited staff to the compilation of statistics of foreign trade, it is considered that priority has to be given to the production of the more current, but less detailed, data in the monthly Trade Statistics of Ireland.
Question No. 2 postponed.