Vol. 249 No. 6
asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will ascertain from the Irish Embassy in West Germany the amounts paid or payable for EEC duty in respect of Irish exports to West Germany in 1969 and in January-June 1970 listed in a reply of 28th October, 1970.
9.
asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will ascertain from the Irish Embassy in France the amounts paid or payable for EEC duty in respect of Irish exports to France in 1969 and in January-June 1970 listed in a reply of 28th October, 1970.
12.
asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state in expansion of a reply of 28th October 1970 regarding exports to France and West Germany in the EEC area why figures for the amounts paid or payable in EEC duty are not available; and, if actual figures are not available, if he will furnish the estimated duty payable having regard to the EEC levy and tariff documentation.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 9 and 12 together.
The information in regard to the amounts of duty paid or payable by the importers in the countries concerned on Irish exports to France and the Federal Republic of Germany could only be obtained from the French and German authorities respectively. I consider that it would be unreasonable to ask these authorities to undertake the very appreciable amount of work which would be necessary to extract and compile the information in question.
Is the Minister telling the House that the Government are not able even to estimate the amounts or that there is no machinery available that would enable the amounts to be ascertained except by asking the countries concerned? If that is so, it is a ridiculous situation.
The Deputy asked the Taoiseach a question on 28th October which related to Irish exports to the various countries concerned and this information could be given. However, this is all the information we can give because of the variable nature of duties involved in the countries concerned.
That is not quite correct. I do not see how we can talk about entering into the EEC when, at the same time, we are unable to get this information. I think the Minister must be making a mistake.
I am not making a mistake. I am keeping strictly to my brief from the Department of External Affairs.
I am not saying that the officials are not doing their job, but the Minister is not doing his job.
I am telling the Deputy clearly that all we can do is to give figures regarding exports. Rates of duty are a variable factor, involving various changes and nuances in regard to each member country of the EEC.
With regard to agricultural exports from this country to the EEC, is the Minister saying to the Irish farmers that he cannot and will never be able to tell them what the rate will be?
The important point is that referred to by the Deputy, namely — the question of the agricultural levies in the EEC. As far as these are concerned, these levies have had a disastrous effect by reason of our non-entry into the EEC. The effect of these levies on our exports of cattle and beef to the six members of the Common Market has been that the value of these exports has declined from £14 million in 1964 to less than £1 million in 1969. This is due to the fact that we are outside the EEC and it is surely one of the strongest points that can be made for our entry into the EEC.
I put down these questions specifically because I wanted to find out what the effect would be. First the Minister said he had not got the information and then he picked out a specific point I threw across to him —in regard to agriculture. What is going to happen in regard to industry?
If the Deputy throws across a question I regard it as a supplementary question and I give a supplementary answer.
The Minister could not give the information I requested. Quite obviously the Government are covering up something.
I am calling No. 10.
10.
asked the Minister for External Affairs the nature of the duty and the rate of duty payable on the EEC frontier in respect of each of the 12 groups of commodities in the list of exports to France for 1969 and January-June, 1970 furnished in a reply of 28th October, 1970.
11.
asked the Minister for External Affairs the nature of the duty and the rate of duty payable on the EEC frontier in respect of each of the 12 groups of commodities in the list of exports to West Germany for 1969 and January-June, 1970 furnished in a reply of 28th October, 1970.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 11 together.
The duties payable on Irish exports to France and the Federal Republic of Germany are the appropriate rates of the EEC's common external tariff which of course vary with the specific commodities involved. These rates are set out in detail in the volume The Customs Tariff of the European Communities, a copy of which is available in the Dáil Library.
