asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce his views with regard to the desirability of having agricultural representation on the National Prices Commission.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - NPC Agricultural Representation.
46.
As the National Prices Commission's membership is already very broadly based, I do not consider it necessary to increase its membership to include agricultural interests. As the Deputy will be aware, the prices which farmers get for their products are outside the scope of the Prices Acts under which the commission operates.
Does the Minister not accept that the farming industry is as susceptible to increases in input costs as any other industry and that the farming community, the biggest industry in the country, are entitled to representation on the National Prices Commission? Are farmers to be treated as a separate and inferior class?
I find the inference of my desire to treat farmers as a separate and inferior class in this context an interesting one, in view of the fact that both the actual membership and the composition of the National Prices Commission was decided by the previous Government and I am continuing their policy.
That is not the question I asked. I asked the Minister a straight question and he proceeded to talk about the decision of the previous Government.
I cannot allow the Deputy to make a statement.
I am asking the Minister if he intends to treat the farming community, the biggest industry in the country, as a separate and inferior class, who are not entitled to representation on the National Prices Commission.
If I got a straight non-contentious question I would be prepared to give it a serious answer. If the Deputy wants to load the question with suggestions about treating people as an inferior class, he is not entitled to a serious answer but I will nonetheless give him one.
The Minister could do what another Minister did last week: he could ask and answer his own supplementaries.