asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will specify the commodities which were the subject of the prices advisory committees' investigations during the past four years.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Price Increases.
34.
The answer is "none". The prices of flour and bread and of electricity were, however, under investigation by prices advisory bodies in the period specified.
Can the Minister explain the contradiction in Government policy that there were no prices advisory bodies' investigations whatever in the past four years and now all of a sudden there is an amazing burst of activity? Deputy Colley has gone to war on inflation, as he said on the radio at lunch-time today.
The Deputy should put a question and not make a speech.
This is totally incomprehensible——
The Deputy must realise there are many questions to be dealt with and other Deputies wish to have their questions answered.
Perhaps the Minister would comment?
I am calling Question No. 35.
35.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state in detail each proposal which came before him for his approval seeking price increases, the amount of increases which he has approved in respect of each service or item, and the amount so approved from the date on which he was appointed to his present office.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to circulate in the Official Report a statement showing in respect of the period 9th May, 1970, to 30th September, 1970, particulars of increases in prices and charges of which I have been notified and to which I have raised no objection.
The statement does not include details of price increase proposals as submitted to me as I must regard proposals at that stage as confidential. In very many cases the amount of increase to which I agreed was less than that sought.
Following is the statement:—
STATEMENT showing increases in prices and charges of which the Minister for Industry and Commerce has been notified and to which he raised no objection in the period 9th May, 1970 to 30th September, 1970.
|
Firm |
Commodity |
Rate of Increase |
|
Clarnico-Murray (Confectionery) Ltd. |
Sweets—Cello. |
2d. qr. lb. |
|
Bags—4 lines |
||
|
Sweets—Loose—8 lines |
1d. to 2d. qr. lb. |
|
|
Sweets—Boxed—3 lines |
3d. per 1/2 lb. box |
|
|
Slab Toffee |
1d(weight increased by 12½%) |
|
|
Irish Fastener Industries Ltd. |
Zip Fasteners (4 types) |
10%—15% |
|
Goodalls of Ireland Ltd. |
Packed, tinned and bottled foodstuffs |
5% |
|
The Irish Dunlop Co. Ltd. |
Tyre products (excluding cycle tyres) |
7½% |
|
Southern Area Coal Importers Association. |
Phurnacite |
£1 ton |
|
Merchants Warehousing Co. Ltd. |
Discharging, Handling and Warehousing Rent of grain cargoes |
10% |
|
International Saws Ltd. |
Wide, Narrow and Metal Cutting Bandsaws, Alloy Steel Circular Plate saws |
10¼% to 21% |
|
Saw Repairs |
7% |
|
|
Pasteurised Milk Bottlers Assoc. |
Milk |
1d. per pint for 2¼ months in period from 1st Jan., 1970 to 31st July, 1970, |
|
Bush (Ireland) Ltd. |
Television and Radio Sets and Allied Products |
5% overall |
|
Belturbet Manufacturing Co. Ltd. |
Stiffeners, toe-puffs, wood heels, plastic heels, steel shanks, insole strip and cut insoles. |
2½% |
|
John Hinde Ltd. |
Continental Cards |
17/6 per 1,000 |
|
Giant Cards |
17/6 per 500 |
|
|
Christmas Cards |
1s. per doz. |
|
|
Letterguides |
1s. per doz. |
|
|
Large Calendars |
4s. per doz. |
|
|
Desk Calendars |
3s. per doz. |
|
|
Smith Holdings Ltd. |
Renault Range of Vehicles |
1% (on wholesale prices) |
|
Hadji Bey et Cie |
Sugar & chocolate confectionery. |
5% |
|
William McKinney & Sons Ltd. |
Oatfield Sugar |
1d. per qr. 1b. |
|
Confectionery |
(23 lines) |
|
|
James Kelly & Co. (Kilcock) Ltd. |
Flour Confectionery |
9% |
|
Gerards Cakes Ltd. |
Flour Confectionery |
5% |
|
Bowmakers Irish Board Mills, Ltd. |
Wood fibre, hardboard and semi hardboard (panel board) |
4% |
|
E.R. Howard (Ireland) Ltd. |
Polishes and waxes |
2d. each on 6 lines |
|
3d. on 1 line |
||
|
5d. on 1 line |
||
|
John Whittaker (Holloware) Ltd. |
Domestic Aluminium Holloware |
8% |
|
The Irish Aluminium Co. Ltd. |
Domestic Holloware, Road Signs, Boxes, Trays, Trollies, Toys. |
9% |
|
Batchelors Ltd. |
Canned & Packed Vegetables |
12½% |
|
Ceimicí Teo. |
Glucose |
£4 ton |
|
Corcoran & Co. Ltd. Carlow. |
Mineral Waters, |
9d. doz. bottles |
|
Ale |
7d. doz. |
|
|
1/2 pint Bottles. |
||
|
General Plastics Ltd. |
Electrical accessories |
3½% |
|
Southern Area Coal Importers Association |
Welsh anthracite peas |
£2 ton |
|
Dutch anthracite nuts |
£2 16s. 0d. ton |
|
|
J.J. Stafford & Sons (Wexford) Ltd. |
Polish Coal |
14s. 6d. ton |
|
Dublin Coal Importers |
Ballingarry anthracite |
|
|
Nuts and Beans |
£2 10s. 0d. ton |
|
|
Peas |
£2 3s. 6d. ton |
|
|
Grains |
£1 17s. 6d. ton |
|
|
Johnson & Johnson (Ireland) Ltd. |
Toilet and Hospital Requisites. |
1d. to 2s. 8d. per item. |
|
Electrical Industries of Ireland Ltd. |
Domestic Electrical Equipment. |
10% |
|
Sandersons Newbridge (1962) Ltd. |
Files and saws |
15% |
|
Irish Paints Ltd. |
Everlac Putties |
£1 7s. 0d. ton |
|
C.S. Laird Ltd. |
“Bo-Peep” range of Jam products. |
11½% (overall) |
|
Beecham of Ireland Ltd. |
Lucozade and Horlicks |
1s. to 6s. per item. |
|
Lamb Bros. (Dublin) Ltd. |
Preserves, Peel, Cherries, |
4d. 1b. |
|
Canned Fruits, |
4d. 1b. |
|
|
Table Jellies |
1s. 2d. dozen |
|
|
Crystallised Fruits |
2s. 1b. |
|
|
Guaire Fabrics Ltd. |
Zip Fasteners |
15% |
|
Sheet Metal Industries Ltd. |
All galvanised sheet products. |
9% |
|
Coal Sales (Clonmel) Ltd. |
Anthracite |
|
|
Cobbles, Nuts, Beans and Grains. |
£2 ton |
|
|
Duff |
£2 7s. 6d. ton. |
|
|
North West Chip Basket Co. Ltd. |
12 1b. Chip baskets4 1b. Chip baskets |
15s. gross7s. gross |
|
Travel Goods Ltd. |
Box files, travel and other cases. |
13½% |
|
Frank O'Neill Ltd., Dublin |
Steel springs, chairs, tables, etc. |
6½% |
|
Ardmore Paper Co. Ltd. |
Facial tissues |
7% |
|
Donald MacPherson & Co. (Ireland) Ltd. |
Paints |
3.3% (overall) |
|
Sissons Bros. and Kierans Ltd. |
Paints |
3.3% (overall) |
|
Thos. Parsons & Sons Ltd. |
Paints |
3.3% (overall) |
|
Preston and Hadfields Ltd. |
Paints |
3.3% (overall) |
|
B.J.N. Paints (Ireland) Ltd. |
Paints |
2% (overall) |
|
Alliance and Dublin Consumers' Gas Company |
GasQuarterly and Slot Consumers. |
4d. therm |
|
Standing charge for central heating. |
15s. quarter |
|
|
Industrial Consumers |
7% |
|
|
Energy Batteries (Eire) Ltd. |
Lead acid accumulators |
10% |
|
Shanks (Ireland) Ltd. |
Cistern Fittings |
3% |
|
Dublin Coal Importers |
Welsh Foundry Coke |
£6 ton |
|
Nanthra |
£1 13s. 6d. ton |
|
|
J. Matterson & Sons Ltd. |
Canned and bottled food products |
12½% (overall) |
|
Leethams (Ireland) Ltd. |
Foundation Garments |
3½% |
|
H.B. Ice Cream Ltd. |
1 pt. Bricks |
2d. each |
|
1/2 pt. ,, |
1d. each |
|
|
Soft Mix |
1s. 3d. gal. |
|
|
3 SLS Kups |
9d. doz. |
|
|
Brewers |
||
|
Wholesale beer bottles |
Beer and lager |
12s. bulk barrel |
|
Pint bottles |
1s. dozen |
|
|
1/2 pint bottles |
6d. dozen |
|
|
Cork Milk Producers |
Bottled Pasteurised Milk |
1d. pint |
|
Co-op Society Ltd. |
for the months of July, August, and December, 1970. |
|
|
Ballinahina Dairies Ltd. |
||
|
Cork |
||
|
Irish Paper Sacks Ltd. |
Paper Sacks |
3% |
|
C.B. Paper Sacks Ltd. |
Paper Sacks |
3% |
|
Ashtown Tinbox (Ireland) Ltd. |
Tin containers etc. |
2½% |
|
Arklow Pottery Ltd. |
Earthenware |
12½% |
|
Irish Biscuits Ltd. |
Biscuits |
2½% |
|
Duckhams Oils Ireland Ltd. |
Q. 20/50 Oil |
9d. gal. |
|
Alfred Bird & Sons (Ireland) Ltd. |
Jelly-de-Luxe |
7d. doz. |
|
Peter Kennedy Ltd. |
Flour |
2d. to 2s. per item. |
|
Confectionery |
||
|
Latchford & Sons Ltd., Tralee |
Cakes and Confectionery (15 lines) |
1d. to 3d. per item |
|
Irish Foundries Ltd., Bailieborough, Co. Cavan. |
Porcelain enamelled cast-iron baths. |
4½% |
|
Joshua Elliott & Sons Ltd., Navan |
Agricultural tools |
5% |
|
Burgess Galvin & Co. Ltd. |
Linseed Oil Putty |
5% |
|
Swarfega hand cleanser— 8 oz. tin |
1s. 9d. doz. |
|
|
Household tin |
4s. doz. |
|
|
9 1b. tin |
7d. doz. |
|
|
Kosangas Ltd. |
25 1b. cylinder of gas |
1s. each (Retail) |
|
J.A. Lumley & Son, Tullamore |
Glace Cherries, Candied Peel. |
5d. 1b. |
|
Cape Asbestos (I.) Ltd. |
Brake and Clutch Linings |
2% |
|
Colgate-Palmolive (I.) Ltd. |
Soap and Detergents |
7% |
|
Helena Rubinstein (Eire), Ltd. |
Cosmetics and Men's Toiletries. |
5% |
|
Allum Ltd., Roscommon |
Aluminium ladders including step ladders. |
2% |
|
The Walpamur Co. of Ireland Ltd. |
Paints |
2% |
|
James Daly & Sons Ltd. |
Packet Margarine for domestic consumption |
3/4d. 1b. |
|
Dowdall O'Mahoney & Co. (Manufacturing) Ltd. |
Bakers' Margarine |
6s. cwt. |
|
The British Margarine Co. Ltd. |
Bakers' Shorterning |
8s. cwt. |
|
W. & C. McDonnell Ltd. |
||
|
Irish Fermentation Ltd. |
Yeast |
6s. basket |
|
Spanlite (Ireland) Ltd., Malahide |
Prestressed concrete lintels. |
3% |
|
John J. Rathborne Ltd. |
Candles |
9% |
|
Kosy Kitchen, Cork |
“Red Band” Puff Pastry |
4d. packet |
|
Drogheda Ironworks Co. Ltd. |
Heavy & Light Castings |
15% |
|
Fry Cadbury (I) Ltd. |
Chocolate bars, Chocolate fancies, eclairs, mints, fruit drops and bon bons. |
1d. each |
|
Large WholenutLarge Fruit and nutLarge Dairy Milk |
2d. each |
|
|
Assortments (in boxes, bags, and cartons) |
From 1d. qr. 1b. to 1s. 3d. 1b. |
|
|
Milk Tray Casket |
Small 1s. 2d.Large 1s. |
|
|
Chocolate Biscuits |
||
|
1 line |
1d. each |
|
|
6 lines |
2d. 1/4 1b.4d. 1/2 1b. |
|
|
Chocolate Drinks |
1d. 1/4 1b.2d. 1/2 1b. |
|
|
Basta Ltd. Tubbercurry. |
Locks & Builders' Iron-mongery |
6% |
|
Kapp & Peterson Ltd. |
Briar Smokers Pipes |
5% |
|
Charles H. Bates & Co. Ltd. |
Cloth finishing |
7½% |
|
Erin Foods Ltd. |
Soup |
3s. per case of 24 packets. |
|
Wigglesworth Ltd. (Dublin branch) |
Pharmaceutical Products |
13.5% |
|
Loughrea Town Hall Ltd. |
Cinema admission charges |
4d. and 6d. a seat. |
|
The Soft Drink and Beer Bottlers Association |
Cider |
1/- per doz. pint bottlee |
|
6d. per doz. 1/2 pint bottles. |
||
|
Industrial Yarns Ltd. |
Rayon Tyrecord Fabric (8 lines) |
1/2d. to 2d. per 1b. |
|
Dublin Master Stevedores Association |
Tariff rates |
10% |
|
Proctor & Gamble Ireland Ltd. |
Ariel, Daz, Tide and Fairy Liquid. |
7% |
|
Irish Paints Ltd. |
Everlac Putty |
13/- ton |
|
Waterford Coal Merchants Association |
Polish Coal |
16/- ton |
|
Sligo Coal Importers |
Polish Coal |
£1 1s. 0d. ton |
|
Viva Cortex Ltd. |
Polyether blocks sheets and cushioning. |
4½% |
|
Irish Wire Products Ltd. |
Floor brads |
£16 5s. 5d. ton |
|
Concrete Products of Ireland Ltd. |
Concrete blocks, bricks, etc. |
based on increased cost of cement. |
|
Brown & Polson (Ireland) Ltd. |
Knorr Soups |
1d. packet |
|
Navan Carpets Ltd. |
Axminster Crown: |
|
|
27” wide |
5d. sq. yd. |
|
|
36” wide |
1/5d. sq. yd. |
|
|
Broadloom |
6d. sq. yd. |
|
|
Wilton Carpets |
7½% |
|
|
Morgan McMahon & Co. Ltd. |
Wood Mosaic |
5d. sq. yd. |
|
Woodblock |
1/1d. sq. yd. |
|
|
Shanks (Ireland) Ltd. |
Sanitaryware Products |
4½% |
|
Sandersons Newbridge (1962) Ltd. |
Tiles |
36% |
|
Saws |
36.7% |
|
|
Irish Bakers Ltd. |
Bakery fats (5 lines) |
1/4d. to 1/2d. 1b. (rate) |
|
Goodalls of Ireland Ltd. |
Sauces, etc. |
2% |
|
Roadstone Ltd. |
Ready Mix Concrete |
10d. per 100 1bs. cement content. |
|
Springs Ltd. |
Springs for vehicles |
12½% |
|
Goulding Fertilisers Ltd. |
Irish Manufactured fertilisers. |
7% |
|
Bryson Aluminium Ltd. |
Aluminium Holloware |
16% |
|
Bord na Móna |
Sales to E.S.B. |
|
|
Milled PeatMachine Turf |
4/- ton |
|
|
Sales to others |
||
|
Sod Machine Turf (loose) |
7/- ton |
|
|
Crushed Turf (loose) |
||
|
Crushed Turf (sacked) |
||
|
Sod Machine Turf |
6d. per 6 stone bag |
|
|
Briquettes and Brickeens |
10/- ton |
|
|
C.B. Paper Sacks Ltd. |
Plastic Sacks. |
7½% |
|
G.W.I. Ltd. |
Joinery |
8% |
|
Irel Company Ltd. |
Coffee Essence and Pack Coffee |
5.2% overall |
|
Johnston, Mooney & O'Brien Ltd. |
Confectionery (8 lines). |
1d. to 3d. |
|
North West Chip Basket Co. Ltd. |
12 1b. chip baskets |
8/- gross |
|
4 1b. chip baskets |
4/- gross |
|
|
Irish Sewing Cotton Co. Ltd. |
Domestic and Industrial Thread |
3% |
|
Lemon & Co. Ltd. |
Chocolate & Sugar Confectionery |
5% overall |
|
Cappincur Joinery Ltd. |
Joinery |
8% |
|
Rowntree-Mackintosh (I) Ltd. |
Black Magic |
at rate of 1/1d. per 3 1bs. |
|
Theatre & Cinema Association (Ireland) |
Cinema admission charges |
Discretion to vary prices subject to certain conditions. |
|
Clondalkin Concrete Ltd. |
Hollow Blocks |
£1 7 0 to £2 15 0 per 1,000 |
|
Solid Blocks |
£1 19 0d. to £2 9 0d. per 1,000 |
|
|
Bricks |
9/- to 11/- per 1,000 |
|
|
Other Products |
5% |
|
|
Shannon Coal Importers Association |
Polish Coal |
19/- ton |
|
W. & C. McDonnell Ltd. |
Royco Soups |
9d. doz. packets |
|
Showerings (Ireland) Ltd. |
Babycham |
|
|
Britvic Fruit Juices |
||
|
Bulmers Cider and Cidona |
7½% |
|
|
Hely Robinson Ltd. |
Waxed Breadwrap and sweetwrap. |
5.5% |
|
Irish Paints Ltd. |
Paints |
5% overall |
|
Industrial Services Ltd. |
Detergents |
3% overall |
|
Superior Packaging Products Ltd. |
Waxed breadwrap, sweetwrap. |
5.5% |
|
Albatros Fertilisers Ltd. |
Irish Manufactured Fertilisers. |
7% |
|
Leixlip Clothing Manufacturers Ltd. |
Clothing (16 lines) |
carrying from 1/- to 6/6d. per line. |
|
Clarnico Murray (Confectionery) Ltd. |
Sweets—Loose—8 lines Slab Toffee |
1d. qr. 1b. 2d. |
|
Battery Makers of Ireland Ltd. |
Automotive and Traction Batteries. |
10% |
|
Wavin Pipes Ltd. |
Mains, pipes, sewers, etc. |
7% |
|
Jeyes (Ireland) Ltd. |
Disinfectants, insecticides, toilet paper, etc. |
6d. to 6/4d. per case. |
|
The Stella Picture Theatre Ltd., Rathmines, Dublin. |
Admission Charges |
6d. seat |
|
Irish Metal Industries Ltd. |
Extras for copper tubing |
7/8d. per 1b. |
|
Belturbet Manufacturing Co. Ltd. |
Stiffeners, toe puffs, wood heels, etc. |
2% |
|
Kiwi (Ireland) Ltd. |
Polishes |
14% |
|
Ardmore Paper Co. Ltd. |
Toilet Rolls |
3½% |
|
Punch & Co. Ltd. |
Shoe and floor polishes |
8.2% |
|
Evode Industries Ltd. |
Adhesives |
4.1% overall |
|
Ogilvie & Moore Ltd. |
Jams & marmalades sweets |
3d. 1b. (average) |
|
unwrapped boilings |
2d. 1b. (average) |
|
|
Lozenges |
1d. 1b. (average) |
|
|
Cow & Gate Ltd. |
Full cream baby food powder |
2% |
|
The Irish Glass Bottle Co. Ltd. |
Glass Bottles and containers |
2% |
36.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the number of applications considered by his Department for price increases in 1968 and 1969 and in the current year to date, the numbers refused in total, accepted in part and approved in full.
As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to circulate it in the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
Price Increase Proposals notified to the Minister for Industry and Commerce.
|
1968 |
1969 |
1970 (Jan.- Sept.) |
|
|
Number accepted in full |
273 |
106 |
105 |
|
Number accepted in part |
87 |
88 |
152 |
|
Number not accepted |
8 |
26 |
12 |
|
Number withdrawn or not proceeded with |
47 |
35 |
53 |
|
TOTALS |
415 |
255 |
322 |
37.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the number of price increases allowed in the two weeks prior to 21st October when the possibility of a supplementary Budget became known; whether the number of increases allowed was above normal; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
In the two weeks prior to 21st October, 1970, I indicated in 13 cases of which I had been notified that I would not object to certain price increases. This number is slightly lower than the average in 1970 for a two-week period.
Can the Minister state whether the increase of 17½ per cent in respect of CIE fares and the increases of up to 50 per cent in the cases of telephone and postal charges are on the list he has mentioned?
The Deputy in his question asked me the number and my reply indicated the number. However, I am not in a position to indicate the composition of the 13 cases.
Is it not a fact that quite a number of firms increased their prices prior to a possible announcement of a supplementary Budget and that there was a leak of the possibility of a supplementary Budget?
In relation to any price increases that I would have sanctioned in that period, normally the applications would be in my Department for six to 12 weeks.