Vol. 447 No. 2
85 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Finance the estimated annual consumer expenditure over the Christmas period in respect of each of the last five years; the expenditure for each year in question in respect of foreign imported toys and Irish produced toys; the projected consumer expenditure for Christmas, 1994; the amount of currency expected to be in circulation in respect of this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3600/94]
Since consumer expenditure is not compiled on a monthly basis it is not possible to say what its level may have been over the Christmas period in past years. Neither is it possible to say what expenditure on toys, imported or domestic, may have been in past years, as data on retail sales is not compiled at the necessary level of disaggregation. While no projection as to consumer expenditure for the coming Christmas period is available, my Department's forecast of the year-on-year increase in the volume of personal consumption in 1994 compared with 1993 is 4½ per cent.
The amount of currency expected to be in circulation over the forthcoming Christmas period is approximately £1,900 million.
