asked the Minister for Finance if he will outline the steps he is taking to analyse incomes and prices in order to determine the causes of inflation; and if he proposes to apply any measures in the spheres of employment policy, regional structure policy, competition policy and incomes policy.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Inflation Causes.
27.
The trends in prices and incomes are monitored in my Department on a continuous basis and a current analysis may be found in the Review of 1973 and Outlook for 1974.
I have referred to the problem of rising prices and inflation in my recent budget statement, pointing out that price rises of the order envisaged, whatever their source, posed grave economic and social problems. I went on to emphasise that the Government are fully alive to the pressing need to shield the community as far as any democratic government can from the harmful effects of inflation and they aim to achieve this by the pursuit in the coming year of appropriate economic and budgetary policies.