asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will indicate what steps he has taken to provide the people of Cork City and suburbs with fresh clean milk during the coming summer months.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cork City Milk Supply.
I should say at the outset that I am convinced that, from the point of view of public health, the difficulties regarding the milk supply in Cork will not be effectively removed until all milk sold in the area is either pasteurised or "highest grade". As the Deputy is aware, I have initiated arrangements towards this end, and it is my intention that they will be brought into effect in the near future.
In the meantime, the responsibility for ensuring that the milk supply is fresh and clean rests on the Cork Corporation and the Cork County Council —particularly the county council in whose area most of the milk for the city is produced. My Department will, of course, continue its efforts to secure more effective enforcement of the Milk and Dairies Act in the production district.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that, up to the outbreak of war, Cork always got twice daily delivery during the summer months and that the reason given for failure to continue that was shortage of petrol? Is he aware that a deputation of Cork Deputies waited on the Minister for Agriculture last August 12 months and that he promised to try to get those people to give twice daily delivery and that, when the Minister was replying to a question of mine last year, Deputy P.D. Lehane intervened and promised that the trade would give twice daily delivery? That was not carried out. Would the Minister try to induce those people to give twice daily delivery for the summer months?
As the Deputy is aware, there is now ample supply of petrol for anyone who wants to avail of it.
That is evasiveness.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary try to get the Cork Milk Board to get the producers and retailers to give us that supply? What steps is he taking in the meantime to see that it will be done?
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that it is not petrol that the milk consumers of Cork City want? It is milk they want twice a day.
Deputy McGrath attributed the difficulties in securing supplies to shortage of petrol.
During the war years.
The war is now over and there are ample supplies of petrol.
I did not attribute it to shortage of petrol. It was the producers and retailers who did so.
I would appeal through the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture that he would urge the Cork milk suppliers to give the citizens of Cork twice daily delivery. Last summer the position was intolerable. Workers had to go to work in the morning without milk because it had gone sour overnight.
That is a speech.
I understand that one of the main difficulties in this matter is that the Cork County Council has not a full-time veterinary officer whose function it would be to enforce the Milk and Dairies Act. I think both Deputies, who are members of the Cork Corporation, should use their influence with members of the county council and they may secure the appointment of a full-time veterinary officer.
They are doing it because it is cheaper to give one delivery daily than to give two.