asked the Minister for Agriculture whether, in view of the availability of unlimited quantities of flour at 7/- per stone, he will increase the ration of subsidised flour in areas where wheat cannot be grown and where bread is the principal article of diet.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Flour Ration.
While the overall ration of subsidised flour and bread is regarded as sufficient for the country as a whole, supplementary allowances are made available in cases of genuine need. Additional allowances are granted to employed persons, coming within defined categories, who are obliged to take bread meals to their work. The categories include heavy manual workers, agricultural workers residing not less than two miles from their place of employment, turf workers, and others. In addition supplementary allowances are granted during the harvest period to bona fide harvest workers. If any other categories exist where similar circumstances obtain I shall be glad to examine them, with a view to ensuring that need will not be allowed to arise anywhere.
Will the Minister consider extending these facilities to the population generally in areas where wheat cannot be grown and where they depend upon bread for their sustenance? I refer in particular to areas like Connemara. Will he apply this extra ration to the population generally in those areas?
I hope to be in a position to inform the Deputy very shortly of benefits for Connemara beside which the proposal he now makes will fade into insignificance.
Do not forget to tell them to the Irish Independent first.
On behalf of these people, it is bread they want now and not brown rock in the future.
The Deputy may rest assured that no one in Connemara will be short of an abundance of bread.
They are short of bread at present.
Or short of anything else they may require.
They are short at present.