asked the Minister for Finance if, in view of his reported statement that there was £80,000,000 more in circulation in 1964 than in the previous year, that nothing extra was spent on food and very little on clothing and that the bulk was spent on drink and tobacco, he will give details of the commodities on which extra money was spent, giving the amount in each case.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Increased Spending on Drink and Tobacco.
9.
Mr. Belton
The statement I made was not as alleged by the Deputy. What I said was that the increase in national income in 1964 might be of the order of £80 million and that, while there was increased spending on food, clothes and other essentials, there was evidence of even greater increases in spending on tobacco and drink.
The information requested by the Deputy will not be available until the National Income Accounts are published in the autumn.