asked the Minister for Lands (a) the price paid per cubic foot for forestry timber at present by the chipboard factory in Scariff, County Clare, in respect of timber from the Macroom, Inchigeela, and Ballingeary forests, (b) the price paid for same in the years 1968 and 1969, (c) the cost of bringing this timber to the point of collection, (d) the total amount per week purchased in the above-mentioned forests and (e) the price paid at present in the forest adjacent to the chipboard factory.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Clare Chipboard Factory.
34.
Timber from State forests is normally sold by the sealed tender system.
The terms of contracts between the Forestry Division and its customers have always been regarded as confidential and it would be contrary to policy to discuss prices for individual sales.
A meaningful comparison of prices on the basis sought by the Deputy could not, in any event, be made since the price received for a particular lot will vary according to species, size category, accessibility and other factors and most of the sales by my Department are to timber merchants who sort the material according to its suitability for various end uses and sell portion of their purchases to the processing factories. The Department cannot provide information as to what quantities from these contracts are sent to the factories and under what terms.