Vol. 264 No. 7
asked the Minister for Finance if the Government will consider the establishment of a committee to examine all aspects of the distribution of wealth in this country with a view to making recommendations on how a more equitable distribution may be arrived at.
10.
asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the recent paper read to the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland on 8th December, 1972, which states that two-thirds of personal wealth in the Republic is owned by 5.1 per cent of the population; and if there are any proposals before his Department to deal with this situation.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 10 together.
My attention has been drawn to the paper referred to by Deputy Desmond. I should point out, however, that the statement in the paper referred to by the Deputy is based on an analysis of estate duty statistics which, the author admits, relates only to a small sample of the total population. In addition, the author indicates that there are a number of further limitations in any approach based on such statistics. Accordingly, the conclusions reached in the paper, while a useful contribution to studies in this field, must be approached with caution.
The redistribution of wealth—and income—in the community is an important function of the taxation system as a whole, and the question of how that function might best be achieved is subject to continuing review. I do not propose to establish a committee, as suggested by Deputy O'Connell, to deal with the matter.
Is the Minister aware that, notwithstanding the limitations on the estate duty data available which, in general, are the most authoritative data available, there is a growing number of reasonably authoritative reports available now to the Government, which indicate that the relative distribution of wealth in the Republic is much more inequitable than it is in Northern Ireland or Great Britain and, as such, warrants a serious examination by the Government? I strongly commend this to the Minister. It would be well worthwhile undertaking it.
Would the Minister consider getting his own Department to undertake an inquiry into the question of the distribution of wealth? Perhaps this might be more revealing.
As I have said, this matter is kept under continuing review. The statistics which are available either to my Department or to individual researchers are limited as regards their value in giving an accurate picture of the distribution of wealth. I would question the accuracy of the statement by Deputy Desmond with regard to other studies revealing a great discrepancy between the distribution of wealth here on the one hand and in the North and in Britain on the other hand. As I have indicated, one of the major functions of the taxation system is to deal with the redistribution of wealth and income, and this is constantly kept in mind by the Government in deciding on taxation measures.
Question No. 11.
Would the Minister provide figures from his Department on the distribution of wealth?
I have already indicated to the Deputy that any figures available would not present an accurate picture.
In view of the good work which has been done by a chairman of one of his own cumainn——
Hear, hear.
——and in view of the Minister's own social conscience which has a great influence on his own party, would he agree that more serious note should be taken of these important investigations? Their accuracy cannot be judged to be partisan since much of the investigation work was done by a chairman of one of the cumainn in the Minister's own constituency.
I am glad the Deputy accepts that any research done by the chairman of a Fianna Fáil cumann is non-partisan.
I applaud all good work done in my constituency by Fianna Fáil.
We cannot have a speech on this. Question No. 11.
Surely the Minister should do something to encourage these young people. Surely the Minister could do something to put these theories into practice.
I should not like it to be thought, from the gloss which Deputy O'Leary is putting on this, that I suggested there was anything partisan about these figures. On the contrary. I said that I thought this represented a useful contribution to studies in this field but that results have to be treated with caution for the reasons I and the author indicated. This is true of statistics in this area which are available in this country and in other countries. The Deputy can rest assured that any information which comes to light from this or other sources which assists in assessing the problem, is taken seriously by the Government.
May I ask the Minister——
We have to move on. We have 163 Questions to deal with.
Would the Minister seriously consider commissioning a study by the Economic and Social Research Institute into this matter? We could accept the objectivity of that body.
It has been done.
By the Minister's own Department?
Let me say for the third time—and may be this time Deputy O'Connell will listen—that there are no statistics available in this country or in other countries which will give an accurate result.
We are not looking for a precise figure.
If the Deputy does not want an accurate result——
Will the Minister not encourage the radicals in his own party?
I wish the Labour Party could produce something comparable to this with all their resources.
