asked the Taoiseach if he will state the approximate number of minutes a man with a wife and two young children, on average manual wages, would have had to work to pay for each of the following items on (a) 1 June 1952 and (b) 1 June 1977: weekly rent of a three-bedroom local authority house; weekly mortgage payments, interest and principal, in the first year after buying a house at the average price for second hand houses assuming 72 per cent of price advanced (net of tax relief); 3 lbs of beef sirloin (without bone); 2 lbs of fresh cod fillets; 14 lbs potatoes; large unsliced loaf; half pound of tea; one quart of fresh milk; and ordinary return rail ticket between Dublin and Cork; five cwts of good quality coal; five gallons of petrol; postage on five letters; one telegram of 12 words; 20 cigarettes; one pint of beer, and one glass of whiskey.
Written Answers. - Earnings and Prices.
Estimates of the kind requested by the Deputy are given in the following table. They are based on earnings data for October 1953 and March 1977 and on price data for August 1953 and February 1977; these are the dates closest to those specified in the question for which relevant information is available. In deriving the estimates the earnings data used are for average earnings of male industrial workers in transportable goods industries, reduced by the appropriate social insurance contributions and by the income tax payable by a married man with two young children, related to the corresponding average hours worked.
APPROXIMATE number of minutes which a man with a wife and two young children, on average earnings of male industrial workers (net of direct tax) would have to work to pay for each of the following items.
|
Items |
1953* August/ October |
1977† February/ March |
|
Minutes |
Minutes |
|
|
Weekly rent of a 3-bedroom Local Authority house (Dublin) |
399 |
303 |
|
Weekly mortgage payments (interest and principal) in the first year after buying a house at the average price for second hand houses assuming 72% of price advanced by Building Society (net of tax relief) |
918 |
877 |
|
3 lbs. of beef sirloin (roast) |
203 |
146 |
|
2 lbs. of fresh cod (cutlets) |
104 |
61 |
|
14 lbs. potatoes |
47 |
59 |
|
Large loaf of bread (unsliced) |
14 |
9 |
|
Half a pound of tea (medium quality) |
48 |
14 |
|
1 Quart of fresh milk |
16 |
8 |
|
Ordinary return rail ticket between Dublin and Cork (valid 3 months) |
1,139 |
884 |
|
5 Cwts. of coal |
794 |
542 |
|
5 Gallons of petrol (top grade) |
370 |
225 |
|
Postage on five letters (within Ireland and to Great Britain) |
25 |
21 |
|
One telegram of twelve words (within State) |
25 |
33 |
|
20 Cigarettes (untipped) |
46 |
23 |
|
1 Pint of stout (draught) |
25 |
18 |
|
Glass of whiskey |
67 |
33 |
* 1953—August prices; October earnings.
1977—February prices; March earnings.