Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 5 Nov 1958

Vol. 171 No. 4

Control of Imports (Quota No. 45) (Amendment) Order, 1958: Motion of Approval.

Minister for Industry and Commerce (Mr. S. Lemass)

I move:—

That Dáil Éireann hereby approves of Control of Imports (Quota No. 45) (Cotton Piece Goods) (Amendment) Order, 1958.

Deputies are aware that under the Control of Imports Act, any Quota Order, or any Order amending a Quota Order, ceases to have effect on the expiration of six months from the date on which it is made, unless it is approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas before the expiration of the six months. In this first Order, amending Quota No. 45, the amendment was a technical one affecting the quota control on cotton cloths. The effect was to remove from the scope of the quota certain printed cloths. The second and third Orders amend Quotas Nos. 45 and 13 in certain details for the purpose of stopping evasions of the quota controls which had developed. The fourth Order to be confirmed (Quotas Nos. 1 to 32) (Amendment) Order removes an exemption in the quota control for cloths used in the binding of books, as Irish mills are now able to supply this cloth. Further information in regard to the four Orders is contained in the supplementary memorandum already circulated to Deputies.

Mr. Cosgrave

I notice in the recent consumer price index that the price of clothing has increased since last year. Admittedly, it is not a very substantial increase, but looking at the index of wholesale prices, published at the same time in the Quarterly Statistical Bulletin of the Central Bank, it will be seen that prices of both materials for use in industries and personal consumption goods have dropped, according to that index. Has the Minister any information as to the contributory factors which caused the prices of clothing to increase in the past 12 months?

Mr. S. Lemass

I am afraid I could not answer that off-hand. I do not know what is the scope of the inquiry conducted by the Central Statistics Office when preparing the index number for clothing. I suspect it is a very wide inquiry.

Question put and agreed to.