Prices Commission.—Salaries, Wages and Allowances.
In Committee on Finance. - Prices Commission.
Machinery has been set up under the Control of Prices Act, 1933, and, as Deputies will see from the Supplementary Estimate, provision will have to be made during the current financial year for salaries amounting to £2,476; travelling expenses, £1,500; and incidental expenses, £570. This Estimate is largely conjectural. The Prices Commission has already started work, and is making definite investigations into complaints regarding the price of bread, flour and meal. A great many complaints have come from different parts of the country regarding the prices of other food stuffs, and in the course of time the Prices Commission will be able to investigate some of those complaints. At the moment, as I say, the Estimate is largely conjectural, and we are not in a position to state definitely, until the end of the present financial year, when the administration under the Act is definitely set going, whether this staff will be permanently necessary or not.
I should say with regard to the travelling expenses, which seem to be rather big, that in the nature of things considerable allowance will have to be made for travelling expenses in connection with this Prices Commission. The Commission will have to go to different parts of the country; it will have to send its inspectors to investigate cases in different parts of the country; occassionally it may have to sit to hold inquiries, and the expenses of witnesses may have to be paid. I am advised that it is necessary, in view of all those considerations, that a fairly large provision should be made for travelling expenses.
This is the first statement that has been officially made, as far as I am aware, concerning the constitution and operations of the Prices Commission set up under the Control of Prices Act. I think this House should, in connection with matters of this kind, be made officially aware by a statement in this House of the constitution of such a body, rather than the Government should through an inspired paragraph, whether official or unofficial, in the Irish Press or any other paper, give information to the public in that way. It was a practice during the life-time of the previous Government—I think a very good one, and one that could be followed to the advantage of the present Government to make announcements as to the personnel, procedure and operations of a body of this kind. Needless to state we welcome the setting up of this body. In addition to the announcement now made by the Minister that this body is engaged in the investigation of complaints made in reference to the price of bread, flour and meal, I think it is very desirable that the Commission should, as soon as possible or convenient, make inquiries into the price of milk charged to the poor in the cities and towns of the country. There are fairly good grounds, without going into any details, for an early investigation into a matter of that kind, and I hope the Commission will take an early opportunity of making inquiries into the many complaints that have been repeatedly made regarding the excessive price for milk charged to the poor of the City of Dublin, apart from elsewhere. It is a considerable time ago since this Party, in company with members of the Minister's own Party, when in opposition, put forward a proposal for the constitution of a body of this kind. We welcome the establishment of the body and hope they will proceeed as quickly as possible to inquire into any aspect of prices which penalises the poor under present circumstances.
I do not think that I can explain to Deputy Davin why the announcement regarding the appointment of the personnel of the Prices Commission was not made in the House. At the moment I do not quite know what the circumstances were, but I will look into the matter. As regards the question of milk, as I said, complaints had been made from different parts of the country with regard to the different commodities. Milk does not seem to be one of them, strange to say. In any case, if complaints are received, steps will be taken to remedy the matter.
What provision is made for the members of the Commission? How many of them are paid? I thought their services were free.
Their expenses are paid.
If complaints are made that the price of milk is too low to give a proper remuneration to those engaged in the industry, will the Commission go into that?
The Deputy means too low to the producer. What I want to find out is the difference in price given to the producer compared with the price paid by the consumer in the large cities and towns of this country.