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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 21 May 1969

Vol. 240 No. 10

Written Answers. - Statistics.

102.

asked the Taoiseach if he will give the following information at May, 1956 and at May, 1969 or the nearest date for which figures are available: (a) the total rates collected, (b) the cost of a 2lb. loaf, one lb of beef, one lb. of mutton, one lb. of tea, one lb. of sugar, one stone of flour and one gallon of petrol, (c) the duty on one gallon of petrol, (d) the cost of a pint of beer and the duty on it, (e) the cost of living figure, (f) the number of people at work, (g) the number employed by local authorities, (h) the number on the land, (i) the rates per head of population, (j) the taxation per head of population and (k) the rates as a percentage of the national income.

The particulars requested, in so far as they are available, are as follows :

Items (a), (i), (j) and (k):

1955-56

1968-69

(a) Rates collected (£000)

18,091

37,660*

(i) Rates per head of population (£)

6.2

12.9

(j) Taxation† per head of population (£)

41

125

(k) Rates as percentage of national income (%)

3.9

3.8

* Provisional estimate based on rates leviable.

† Total taxation as defined in the national accounts comprising taxes on income (including social insurance contributions), taxes on capital and taxes on expenditure (including rates).

Items (b), (c), (d) and (e):

The information on retail prices available to the Central Statistics Office is that collected at the quarterly inquiries made in connection with the calculation of the Consumer Price Index numbers. A new series of index numbers was introduced in February, 1969. For the new inquiry the specifications of the items priced were changed in many instances, the area, the type of shop covered and the population weighting for the different areas were also changed. The national average prices computed for the new series are therefore not strictly comparable with those calculated for the earlier series. Prices on both bases were collected in November, 1968 and the averages are given below for the relevant food items together with the average prices for May, 1956 and February, 1969.

National Average Retail Prices.

Old Series

New Series

Item

Unit

May, 1956

November, 1968

Item

Unit

November, 1969

February, 1969

s.

d.

s.

d.

s.

d.

s.

d.

Bread

2 lb.

9

1

10½

Bread—

loaf

white sliced

2 lb.

1

11

2

0

white unsliced

,,

1

10

1

11

Beef—Round steak

lb.

3

4

5

11

Beef—Round steak

1 lb.

5

11½

6

Sirloin

,,

3

6

10¼

Sirloin

,,

6

11¾

7

Rib

,,

2

10¾

4

,, roast

,,

5

10¾

6

0

Shoulder

,,

2

3

11¾

Rib steak

,,

4

6

4

Neck

,,

2

3

Brisket

Corned bris ket

,,

2

2

6

corned beef

,,

2

5

2

6

Liver

,,

2

3

4

Mutton—Leg

,,

3

3

4

9

Mutton—Leg

,,

4

4

Loin chops

,,

3

5

8

Loin chops

,,

5

5

9

Neck

,,

2

2

2

Cutlets

Shoulder

,,

2

3

(rib)

,,

4

11½

5

Fillet

,,

3

5

4

11½

Gigot

chops

,,

4

4

10¼

Neck

,,

1

11¾

2

0

Liver

,,

4

8

4

Tea—best

,,

8

4

7

Tea—best

,,

7

9(c)

8

0(c)

used by wage

medium

,,

6

2(c)

6

5(c)

earning classes

,,

7

6

Sugar

,,

7

10½

Sugar

,,

10(b)

10(b)

Flour—household

14 lb.

4

11

5(a)

Flour—white plain Self-

14 lb.

11

4(a)

11

10(a)

raising

,,

11

11(a)

12

5(a)

(a) Based on prices returned for 3½ lb. flour

(b),,,,,,,,,,2,, sugar

(c),,,,,,,,,,¼,, tea

In the case of items, other than certain food items, no attempt is made to price the identical quality in different areas though the quality priced is kept uniform at each reporting centre. For this reason meaningful national average prices cannot be given.

In the period May, 1956 to February, 1969 it is estimated that the price of stout draught rose by 112.4 per cent and the duty content on a pint of beer of average gravity was 5.9d. at mid-May, 1956 and 15d. at mid-February, 1969.

Top quality petrol cost 4s. 3d. per gallon in Dublin and 4s. 4d. elsewhere at mid-May, 1956 and the duty content involved was 2s. 3¼d. The corresponding price at mid-May, 1969 was 6s. 5½d., duty content 4s. 1.82d. (home refined).

The Consumer Price index to base August, 1953=100 was 107.5 at mid-May, 1956 and 168.1 at mid-May, 1969.

Items (f), (g) and (h):

The estimated number of persons at work was 1,125,000 in April, 1956 and 1,065,000 in April, 1968. The corresponding estimated number of persons at work in agriculture, forestry and fishing were 430,000 and 313,000 respectively. Corresponding figures for total employment by local authorities are not available.

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