asked the Taoiseach if he will state the number of persons engaged in agriculture at 1st October in each of the years 1953 to 1956, inclusive.
Written Answers. - Agriculture Employment Statistics.
The only information available relating to the matter of the Deputy's question is the numbers of males engaged in farm work on the 1st June of each year as returned at the Agricultural Statistics Enumeration. The total numbers of males, 14 years of age and over, so engaged were returned as 420,786 on 1st June, 1953, 421,309 in 1954 and 418,441 in 1955. It is provisionally estimated that the corresponding figure for 1956 was 408,600. This estimate is subject to revision.