Vol. 255 No. 15
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will estimate what would have been the value of gross agricultural output, product by product, in 1969 if Ireland had been a member of the EEC in that year; what would be the value of the same output of each of these items at the prices proposed by the EEC Commission in 1972-73; and how these values compare with the actual values of gross agricultural output in 1969.
28.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries what percentage increases in costs of inputs into agriculture and of farm expenses as actually incurred in 1969 would have taken place if Ireland had been a member of the EEC in that year.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 28 together.
Take them all together.
Yes, for all the good it will do us.
They are using the one mouth for asking them all.
Maybe the Minister will say something this time. Give him a chance.
Could we have the answer to Questions Nos. 27 and 28?
Agricultural output and input figures are derived from detailed returns covering a large number of items and the information available is not sufficiently precise to enable a reliable revaluation of the Irish 1969 figures to be carried out at EEC prices. Moreover, as the Deputy will appreciate, if Ireland had been a member of the EEC in 1969 the volume of output and inputs, as well as the level of prices, would have been affected to a greater or lesser extent depending on the degree of participation in the common agricultural policy.
May I ask the Minister did he observe that my question asked what would be the value of the same output?
Your question?
The question here.
It is not your question.
It is a question I am asking for the Deputy.
You said it was your question.
You are not the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries.
He is not Deputy Creed.
Is this another tactic to dodge the question? I want to know is the Minister going to tell us what will be the impact of EEC membership on Irish agricultural output, on the prices and value of it, or not? Is he at any stage going to tell us? Or, does he expect us to walk into the Common Market without having any answers to these questions?
The question does not seek that information. The question is purely hypothetical. It assumes an unreal situation, that we were, in fact, a member of the EEC since 1969.
There seem to be a few debates going on.
Deputy FitzGerald's question, or Deputy Creed's question, whoever's question it is, takes the purely hypothetical and unreal position that we were in the EEC since 1969 and he wants to know what would have happened in those circumstances. It is quite impossible to answer that question because it is likely that our pattern of production would have changed and any estimation of what would have happened in that purely hypothetical situation is just foolish, in my opinion.
Would the Minister agree that it is vital that we should have some estimate, hypothetical or otherwise, to enable us to judge what the effects would be? Does he intend to give us any estimate based either on the existing pattern of production or on what he thinks the pattern of production would have been at EEC prices?
Any worthwhile estimate that would be given would be based on realities rather than on hypotheses.
So, he is not at any stage going to tell us what the effects of membership would be.
When the Deputy is putting down questions in Deputy Creed's name he should ask for hard facts rather than ask for answers to hypothetical questions.
Is the Minister ever going to give us his assessment of the effect of EEC membership? Is he capable of getting civil servants to produce an estimate?
Question No. 29 postponed.
