asked the Taoiseach the tonnage of home produced cement in the six months ended November 1980 and the same six months period in 1979; and the percentage change involved.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers - Cement Production.
23.
The totals were 946,700 tonnes in the six months ended November 1980 and 1,204,200 tonnes for the six months ending 1979 representing a decline of 21.4 per cent. The available data relates to sales of home produced cement, including any imports by the producing company.
Would the Minister of State agree that this indicates an alarming decline in the level of investment in this country and in particular in the health of the building industry? Would he further agree——
I am afraid that this is a policy question. The Minister of State is simply answering statistical questions and he is not responsible for the policy in this area.
I submit that my question is directed towards obtaining an interpretation of the meaning of these statistics and whether the Government accept that they mean what other people believe they do mean.
I suggest that the Deputy puts down a question to the Minister responsible for this area.
I would have thought that the Government and particularly the Minister of State would be capable of interpreting the significance of these statistics.
It is not his responsibility.
I want to ask the Minister of State a question arising out of his reply in which he made reference to the possibility of imports as substitutes for Irish manufactured cement. Does he have figures of the amount of imported cement in the same period or can we deduce from the Minister of State's reply that there has been a net reduction of the 20 per cent or so to which he referred earlier?
I have given the figures available to me on this question.
Would it be in order then to say that the Minister of State is simply giving statistical answers and any reference to possible import substitutes is a policy intervention?
Deputies
No.
(Interruptions.)
If I am allowed to speak, the record will show that it was the Minister of State who raised the diversionary herring of possible imports of cement. He raised it by way of a statistical reply. Now he indicates clearly that he has no facts about or figures for the amount of imported cement.
I suggest that if the Deputy puts down a question I shall answer it.