Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 17 Jun 1958

Vol. 169 No. 1

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Emigration and Consumption of Agricultural Produce.

Mr. Desmond

asked the Taoiseach if he will give an estimate in respect of a recent year of (1) net emigration, (2) the average consumption per head (a) per week and (b) per year of the principal items of agricultural produce, and (3) the estimated decline in the home market for each such item of agricultural produce for a year arising from emigration.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach (Donnchadh Ó Briain) (for the Taoiseach)

As has been stated in replies to previous parliamentary questions, it is not possible to compile annual figures for net emigration except for intercensal periods. During the intercensal period 1951-56 the average annual net emigration was about 39,400 persons per annum.

I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to circulate in the Official Report a statement showing the average consumption per head (a) per week and (b) per year of the principal foodstuffs derived from agricultural produce, and also the annual consumption at these rates of 39,400 persons. The figures relating to the consumption of 39,400 persons are not necessarily equivalent to the decline in the home market arising from emigration since, if there were no emigration, it is probable that the average consumption of foodstuffs per head of the population would differ from the figures given in the statement.

Following is the statement:—

QUANTITIES of the principal foodstuffs consumed as such per head (a) per week and (b) per year (including farm produce consumed on farms without process of sale and tourist consumption) in 1956, and the estimated quantities consumed by 39,400 persons.

Item	Quantity consumed per head, 1956*	Quantity consumed by 39,400 persons per year
(a) per week	(b) per year
Fresh milk	5.7	pints	36.9	gallons	1,455	thousand	gallons
Creamery butter	9.1	ozs.	29.6	lbs.	1,168	,,	lbs.
Other butter	4.6	,,	14.9	,,	587	,,	,,
Cheese	0.6	,,	1.9	,,	76	,,	,,
Eggs	5.1	,,	265.8	,,	10,471	thousands
Beef	10.0	ozs.	31.8	lbs.	1,255	thousand	lbs.
Mutton	4.7	,,	15.4	,,	606	,,	,,
Pigmeat	15.2	,,	49.4	,,	1,946	,,	,,
Poultry	3.9	,,	12.5	,,	494	,,	,,
Sugar	22.2	,,	72.2	,,	2,844	,,	,,
Bread	3.1	lbs.	11.4	stones	450	,,	stones
Household flour	2.1	,,	7.7	,,	302	,,	,,
Potatoes	9.1	,,	33.9	,,	1,337	,,	,,

* Provisional.

Mr. Corish

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the British Minister for National Insurance has stated recently that to workers from the Twenty-Six Counties, in 1957, 58,496 new national insurance cards have been issued? That would be nearer to the figure for emigration than the one which the Parliamentary Secretary quoted—39,000 odd.

Donnchadh Ó Briain

The 39,400 was for 1951-1956, according to the census return.

Mr. Corish

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that, last year, 58,496 new insurance cards have been issued to Irish workers from the Twenty-Six Counties?