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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 20 Mar 1969

Vol. 239 No. 5

Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Retail Prices.

6.

asked the Taoiseach if he will state for (i) February, 1957, (ii) February, 1969 and (iii) November, 1968 or the nearest convenient date to these, the average retail price of (a) a two-pound loaf of bread, (b) a stone of flour, (c) a pound of creamery butter, (d) a two-pound bag of sugar, (e) a pound of tea, (f) a pint of stout, (g) 20 plain non-tipped cigarettes of popular brand, (h) a gallon of petrol, (i) the licence duty on a 10 horse power car, (j) a radio licence and (k) the postage rate on a closed letter from one part of Ireland to another.

The information on retail prices available to the Central Statistics Office is that collected at the quarterly inquiries made in connection with the calculation of the Consumer Price Index numbers. The results of the mid-February, 1969 inquiry are not yet available. The February, 1957, and November, 1968, prices, or price changes where actual prices are not meaningful for items (a) and (c) to (g) were given in my reply to a question by Deputy Sweetman on 4th February, 1969, Volume 238, columns 59-60. The national average retail price of a stone of flour, item (b) was 4s 2½d at mid-February, 1957, and 11s 5d at mid-November, 1968. With your permission, Sir, I propose to circulate in the Official Report a statement giving the cost of items listed at (h) to (k) as ascertained from different sources at the specified dates.

Following is the Statement:

COST of certain items in February, 1957, November, 1968 and February, 1969.

February

November

February

1957

1968

1969

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

(h) Petrol top quality, gallon

4

7 (a)

6

6

(i) Licence duty 10 Horse Power car

16

10

0

20

12

6

20

12

6

(j) Radio Licence

17

6

1

5

0

1

5

0

(k) Postage rate letter within Ireland, not exceeding 2 ozs.

3

5

6

(a) Dublin Zone, elsewhere 4s. 8d.

Is the Taoiseach aware that in 1957 the then Taoiseach, Mr. de Valera, and the then Tánaiste, Deputy Lemass, speaking on the one night, one in Ballina and the other in Belmullet, stated that the Fianna Fáil Party would not increase the cost of the necessaries of life on the poor if they were returned to office and not to believe the bloodcurdling propaganda of the Fine Gael Party? What has the Taoiseach to say now when the cost of necessaries is three times what it was then?

I think I ought to have notice of that supplementary question. If that statement was made in 1957, it was just one year after the leader of the Deputy's own Party had said the cost of living was not going up, but it did go up during the Coalition term of office.

Fianna Fáil have pawned the country.

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