asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he has approved of the proposal of the National Prices Commission to refrain from publishing approved price increases in the newspapers.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Prices Commission.
55.
To prevent any misunderstanding I wish to make it clear that the recommendation of the National Prices Commission was that details of recommended price increases should continue to be published in the appendices to the commission's monthly reports, but that the practice of publishing them as an advertisement in the national newspapers should be discontinued.
While I recognise the danger of strengthening inflationary expectations, I consider that on balance it is preferable to give the public the fullest information, and I intend therefore to continue the practice of publishing the necessary details as an advertisement in the national newspapers.
That is a nice change of heart.
You did not get away with it.
56.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the range of goods for which it is unnecessary to seek approval from the National Prices Commission in respect of an increase in prices; and the dates from which these exemptions became operative.
57.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the number of firms which are exempted from seeking approval from the National Prices Commission in respect of price increases; and the corresponding number at 31st March, 1973.
I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 56 and 57 together.
Details of all firms exempted from detailed price control and of products or services involved are available from the published monthly reports of the National Prices Commission. These reports are available in the Oireachtas Library and are also circulated to each Deputy. On the days on which the monthly reports of the commission were published, I indicated in a Press statement that I had agreed to the exemption from detailed price control of the firms for whom exemption had been recommended by the commission.
The following additional exemptions have recently been agreed by me on the Commission's recommendation, but have not yet been published in a monthly report of the Commission.
|
Firm |
Product |
Date of Exemption |
|
Cómhlucht Siúicre Éireann Teoranta |
Agricultural Machinery |
26th April, 1974. |
|
Vitabond Ltd. |
Polyester Fibre Waddings |
30th April, 1974. |
Would the Minister say what are the requirements for a product to be exempt from price control?
In their February, 1972 report the National Prices Commission recommended that a firm should be excluded from the requirement of giving one month's notice, the then statutory period of notification, of its intention to increase prices, where (a) not less than 75 per cent of its output is protected against competing imports from Britain by a tariff of not more than 10 per cent or (b) it is exporting 25 per cent or more of its output of a product range and selling the balance on the home market at a price which is not greater than the average delivered export price on the British market, excluding all British taxes.
58.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the number of applications for price increases sanctioned by him in each of the six months from October 1973 to March 1974; and the corresponding figures for the same months in the previous year.
Particulars of all price increases recommended to me by the National Prices Commission are available from the commission's published monthly reports which are in the Oireachtas Library and which are also circulated to each Deputy. On the days on which the monthly reports were published, I indicated in a Press statement that with certain specified exceptions, I had accepted the commission's recommendations for price increases for the firms concerned and that I would raise no objection to the implementation of these increases.
Separate announcements were made in the cases where I did not accept the National Prices Commission's recommendation. Only three such cases arose in the periods in question.
I asked the number at given periods as compared with the corresponding period of last year. The Minister has not given me that information.
The Minister has informed the Deputy where it can be got and, in fact, the Deputy has it himself because the NPC reports are circulated to Deputies and are available in the Oireachtas Library.
In other words, let the Opposition do the work, the Government will not accept responsibility.
It is not a question of letting the Opposition do the work. Deputies get the report each month and all the price increases are listed at the back of the report, at Appendix A I think. It is a question of getting the reports and totting them up.
The Minister has the staff to do it.
Surely the Minister does not think that is a satisfactory answer to my question?
I am telling the Deputy where the information is available and, in fact, he has it himself for the periods in question. He gets the monthly report every month and these price increases are listed at the back.
I am asking the Minister the number of price increases in a given period as compared with the corresponding period last year. This is a politically explosive question, which the Minister does not want to answer.
The Deputy has the reports of the NPC for both periods he mentions. By looking up the appendices at the back of each of the reports he will get what the price increases are.
I am not accepting that as a satisfactory answer. I am entitled to get that information from the Minister.
I am afraid the Chair has no control over that.
The public have not got access to the Library.
The Deputy has.
I want this made public here.
And put on the record.
Question No. 59.
The Minister will hear more about this.