asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware that suitable oilskins for fishermen are not available from home manufacturers; and, if so, if he will again permit drapers in coastal areas to import, duty free, limited quantities of the right type of oilskins that are required by fishermen.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Oilskin Imports.
My information is that suitable oilskins for fishermen are available from home manufacturers. There would, therefore, be no justification for permitting duty-free imports of such articles.
Is the Minister aware that the Minister for Local Government, in reply to a question yesterday, stated that he had to agree to put on the list imported oilskins to suit workers of local authorities because they are not available locally?
I am not discussing something that happened in 1952. I am talking about the present position. Excellent oilskins for the use of fishermen are now being manufactured in Cork.
Is the Minister aware that certain drapers in country towns got some of these oilskins and sold them to fishermen and that they had to take them back again because they are quite useless?
So far as I am concerned, no complaint has been received in regard to them, either in respect of price or quality.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state why he will not issue in favour of theKildare County Council a recommendation to the Revenue Commissioners to grant a duty free licence for the importation of 450 sets of waterproof clothing purchased by the council from the official contractor nominated by the Minister for Local Government and thus save the Kildare ratepayers the sum of £611 15s.
For some years past duty-free licences have not been granted for imports of clothing of this nature and it would not be possible to make an exception in favour of the Kildare County Council.
Would the Minister state why he has insisted on this duty other than for the purpose of having another Supplementary Estimate at the expense of the ratepayers in County Kildare? Is the Minister not aware that his colleague, the Minister for Local Government, and his colleague the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, determined last year that there were not produced within the State articles of this nature which would be acceptable. That is last year. I do not know about this year.
I take it as correct that a test carried out by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs early in 1952, that is, prior to the preparation of the combined purchasing list for the year 1952, revealed some deficiency in the quality of this protective clothing manufactured here. The Kildare County Council did not report this in 1952. At that time there was available from home sources at a lower price protective clothing of excellent quality. In the circumstances I could not justify the granting of a duty-free import licence.
May I also point out that the combined purchasing arrangement does not preclude the Kildare County Council from purchasing other than from the contractor named on the official list if they can purchase goods of equal quality at a lower price from someone else, and that the official combined purchasing list for 1952 contained a footnote which made it quite clear that import duty would be payable on these goods if imported?
The Minister for Local Government stated yesterday in reply to a question by me: "Is it not a fact that local authorities must buy from the list circulated by the Minister and that if purchased from anywhere else there will be a surcharge"—"That is so."
They can buy elsewhere goods of equal quality at a lower price.
Is the Minister aware that the Department of Local Government have directed that local authorities should co-operate with his Department and purchase only from firms on the list?
I am quite certain the Department of Local Government will not prevent any council buying goods manufactured in this State when those goods are of equal quality and can be bought at a lower price.