asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether it is his intention to publish the evidence on which the recent prices inquiry into the price of soap based the decision that price rises had been justified.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Price of Soap.
10.
The answer is no. The Committee's conclusions are based on individual firm's costings submitted to and examined by them. It is not the practice to publish confidential information of this kind.
The position is, therefore, that the public must accept the word of the Minister for Industry and Commerce that the price is a fair price.
The Minister issued a statement on the 4th May.
The statement was to the effect that he was satisfied that there was not any exorbitant increase.
The Minister for Industry and Commerce has considered the report recently furnished to him by the Prices Advisory Committee appointed to inquire into and report on the prices charged for soap by the manufacturers thereof and the methods of marketing soap. The Committee reported that they found no manufacturing practice within the control of the manufacturers which was clearly causing the price of soap to be unduly high. There is no evident lack of competition in the manufacture and distribution of soaps in common use and the Minister is advised that, as a result of changes in weights and prices made before and after the appointment of the Committee, the prices of such soaps show no undue increase in April, 1964 as compared with October, 1963. That was issued by the Minister on 4th April, 1960. It was a report of the Committee and he accepted it.
I accept it is the Committee's report but will the Minister consider having these inquiries in public so that any fears the public may have will be allayed?
The Deputy will appreciate that the inquiry unearthed some information which must be confidential. Costings are confidential information and I do not think firms would be liable to co-operate if these were to be made public.
Were the firms individually represented at these inquiries?
I expect they were not all heard together; otherwise, it would no longer be confidential.
The people were heard individually.
I presume they were.
11.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if the Prices Advisory Committee in their recent report on soap prices found that there was an increase in such prices as between October 1963 and April 1964; how great such increase was; and to what such increase was due.
So far as the manufacturers are concerned, there has been no increase in the price of soap since September, 1963. The Prices Advisory Committee on soap reported that an increase of 2d per tablet in the recommended retail prices of certain toilet soaps in common use, was notified to the trade in September, 1963. This increase related to tablets of which the recommended retail prices had been 8d and 9d, small; 1s. 2d and 1s. 3d, large and was attributed in the main to increases in production costs. In February, 1964, the recommended retail prices of certain large tablets had been reduced by 1d and the weights of certain large and small tablets had been increased by 2 per cent and 17.5 per cent respectively. The weights of other small tablets were to be increased in April, 1964, and I am advised this has been done.