asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and energy if he will make a statement giving full details of increases in prices approved by his Department since 5 July 1977 to date, in regard to consumer goods and services; and the amount of the increase in each case.
Written Answers. - Price Increases.
I would refer the Deputy to the answer given by me to a written question on 12 October 1977 in which I gave details of the price increases arising from recommendations of the National Prices Commission which were accepted by me in the period from my assuming office on 5 July 1977 to 7 October 1977.
As the remainder of the information sought by the Deputy is in the form of a tabular statement covering the period 8 October, 1977 to 24 February 1978 showing the price increases, I propose with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to have it circulated with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
Firm |
Product/Service Involved |
Increase Approved |
||
Calor Gas Ireland Ltd. |
(i) Bottled Gas and Central Heating Charges |
(i) increase sufficient to yield additional annual revenue of £417,253 |
||
(ii) Dealer's Margins on sales of bottled gas cylinders |
(ii) increase of lp on the 11.343 kg. cylinder with pro rata increases on other cylinders |
|||
Irish Taxi Federation |
Extra ChargesAdditional PassengersLuggageAnimalsUnsocial Hours |
10p per person10p per person10p per person20p per hiring midnight to 8 a.m. and on Bank Holidays including 25/26 December |
||
Flake Oatmeal Millers' Association |
Packet and Loose Flake meal |
6.4% on average |
||
Clayton Love Distribution Ltd., Dublin |
(i) Margins on all frozen foods(ii) Frozen Brussels Sprouts |
(i) 2% (average)(ii) 2p to 5p per packet retail depending on size |
||
Glaxo Laboratories (Ireland) Ltd., Dublin |
Ostermilk Complete Formula |
£0.72 per 24 × 1 lb. case wholesale (i.e. 3p per lb. retail) |
||
Cadbury Ireland Ltd., Dublin |
Chocolate blocks, Chocolate bars and food drinks |
2.81% (average) |
||
Kylemore Bakery Ltd., Dublin |
Flour Confectionery |
2.61% (average) |
||
Limerick Coal Importers |
(i) Polish Coal(ii) Anthracite Nuts(iii) Phurnex(iv) Slack |
£ per tonne(i) 7.12(ii) 14.22(iii) 15.19(iv) 0.12 |
||
Sligo Coal Importers |
Polish Coal |
£ per ton6.27 |
||
Waterford Coal Merchants Association |
Polish Coal |
£ per tonne6.65 |
||
J.J. Stafford & Sons (Wexford) Ltd. |
(i) Polish Coal(ii) English Coal(iii) Anthracite Nuts(iv) Extracite Ovids(v) Polyturf |
£ per tonne(i) 6.40(ii) 1.14(iii) (7.19) (reduction)(iv) 1.14(v) 1.14 |
||
Robert McCowen & Sons Ltd., Tralee |
Polish Coal |
£ per tonne6.72 |
||
Coal Distributors Ltd. |
Domestic (retail) |
Ex-yard sales |
||
£ per tonne |
Loose |
Bagged |
||
£ per tonne |
||||
(i) Polish Coal |
(i) 4.91 |
4.91 |
4.91 |
|
(ii) English Coal |
(ii) 4.91 |
— |
2.44 |
|
(iii) Anthracite Nuts |
(iii) 1.90 |
1.73 |
1.73 |
|
(iv) Blended Anthracite |
(iv) 3.68 |
— |
3.51 |
|
(v) Anthracite Peas |
(v) 5.21 |
— |
5.04 |
|
(vi) Phurnacite |
(vi) 0.30 |
— |
0.13 |
|
(vii) Slack |
(vii) 1.16 |
— |
0.99 |
|
Pre-packaged coal |
||||
(i) 12½ kgs |
(i) 8.06 |
— |
5.66 |
|
(ii) 25 kgs |
(ii) 8.06 |
— |
5.66 |
|
Cork City Coal Importers |
All Companies(i) Polish Coal(ii) English Coal(iii) Anthracite Nuts(iv) Anthracite Peas(v) Phurnex(vi) SlackSuttons Ltd. Only:Pre-Packaged Coal(i) 12½ kgs(ii) 25 kgs |
£ per tonne(i) 6.97(ii) 1.71(iii) 1.71(iv) 1.71(v) 1.71(vi) 1.71£ per tonne(i) 7.77(ii) 7.74 |
||
Donegal Coal Importers Association |
Polish Coal |
£5.34 per ton (i.e. new price of £53.35 per ton) |
||
Drogheda & District Coal Merchants Association (3 merchants) |
(i) Polish Coal(a) P. Monaghan(b) M. ButterleyT.J. Molloy & Sons(ii) English Coal (all merchants) |
£ per tonne(i) (a) 8.58(b) 16.20(ii) 3.74 |
||
Connick Cooper & O'Rourke Ltd., Dundalk |
(i) Polish Coal(ii) English Coal |
£ per ton(i) 5.34(ii) 3.70 |
||
Galway Coal Importers |
Polish Coal |
£6.67 |
||
John RocheJohn Tighe & SonsEllis & EllisCharles Brennan & SonsLaw Searchers |
Search Fees |
20% (average) |
||
Oil Fired Services Ltd., Dublin |
Service Agreements on Oil Fired Central Heating Boilers—Charges |
10.5% (average) |
||
Rank Xerox Ltd., Dublin |
Maintenance contracts |
6.6% |
||
ESB |
Repair service charges |
8.6% |
||
David Allen & Sons Ltd. |
Rate for Outdoor Advertising Space |
7.00% |
||
RTE Dublin |
Advertising rates (Television and Radio) |
15% (average) |
||
Sun Alliance and London Insurance Ltd. Dublin |
(i) Commercial Theft Insurance Rates(ii) Premium rates for Public Liability Insurance |
(i) 15% average subject to a maximum individual increase of 35%(ii) 40% average subject to a maximum individual increase of 50% |
||
IBM Ireland Ltd., Dublin |
(i) Magnetic Graf and Copier equipment and service charge(ii) Electric typewriters, dictating equipment and supplies |
(i) 9.15% (average)(ii) 5% |
||
Chloride (Ireland) Ltd., Dublin |
Lead aci l cumulators (excluding Ford, Export, Industrial and imported automotive ranges) |
5.5% |
||
Incorporated Law Society |
(i) Fees under the Solicitors' Remuneration General Orders 1884-1972(ii) Registration Fees |
(i) 40%(ii) 33?% |
||
The Greyhound and Sporting Press Ltd., Clonmel, County Tipperary |
“Sporting Press”(i) Advertising rates(ii) Cover price |
(i) 15%(ii) 5p per copy |
||
International Meat Producers Ltd. |
“Glopak” frozen Hamburgers and Beefburgers |
10.81% (average) |
||
Reckitts (Ireland) Ltd., Dublin |
“Zip firelighters |
5.5% (average) |
||
Pfizer Chemical Corporation County Cork |
Citric Acid Sodium Citrate and Potassium Citrate |
Amounts ranging between 4.1% to 6.0% |
||
Philip Pierce & Co. Ltd., Dublin |
(i) Part of the range of Standard Foundry items(ii) Garden seats and seat ends(iii) Farm machinery |
(i) Amounts ranging between 12p and £3.54(ii) Amounts ranging between £8.86 and £82.23(iii) Amounts ranging between 3.9% and 7.5% |
||
Scotts Foods Ltd., Dublin |
Bottled Vegetables and Scotchoc |
4.5% (average) |
||
David Millard Ltd., Dublin |
Kalamazoo Business Systems |
9.76% |
||
Peter Mark Ltd., Dublin |
Hairdressing charges |
20.00% |
||
Dairyland Ltd. |
Yogurt |
9% average |
||
Mitchelstown Co-Op |
Yogurt |
5.15% average |
||
Johnson Wax (Ireland) Ltd. Dublin |
Polishes, cleaners, Personal Care Products, Air Freshners, Industrial Products |
2.7% average |
||
F.H. Thompson & Son Ltd., Cork |
Flour confectionery |
10.8% |
||
Birds Eye Foods (Irl) Ltd., Dublin |
Birds Eye range of frozen foods (excluding garden peas, sliced green beans, and Brussels sprouts) |
1.7% average |
||
Bolands Ltd., Dublin |
Flour confectionery |
11.29% |
||
Gateaux Ltd., Dublin |
Flour confectionery |
6.04% average |
||
Maguire & Paterson Ltd., Dublin |
Matches |
(i) Immediate reduction from 45 to 40 matches (standard box)(ii) Reduction from 40 to 36 matches as from 1 January 1978 (standard box)(iii) Immediate increase of 2p per box in the price of the household box (i.e. from 15½p to 17½p per box) |
||
Rowntree-Mackintosh (I) Ltd./Fox's Glacier Mints (I) Ltd. Dublin |
Sugar and chocolate confectionery |
7.7% (average) |
||
ICS Computing (Ireland) Ltd., Dublin |
Data Processing Service Charges |
15.5% (average) |
||
Triplex Ireland Ltd., Dublin |
Toughened Safety Glass |
14.71% (average) |
||
Schwarzkopf (Ireland) Ltd., Dublin |
Hairdressing preparations |
An increase in cash margins of 2.7% (average) |
||
Tegral Building Products Ltd., Dublin |
Asbestos Cement goods |
2.25% |
||
Permutit Boby Ltd. |
Inspectior Service for Industrial Water Softeners |
10.6% |
||
Medical Registration Council |
(i) Registration fees(ii) Medical Register of Ireland |
50.0%33?% |
||
Runtalrad Ltd., Dublin |
Radiators |
9.4% |
||
Wellcome (Ireland) Ltd. |
Manufactured Veterinary Products |
Amounts ranging between 8.6% and 30.4% |
||
O'Connell Bridge School of Motoring, Dublin |
Driving Tuition charges(i) Car(ii) Rigid Lorry(iii) Articulated Lorry |
(i) 20p per lesson(ii) 20p per lesson(iii) 20p per lesson |
||
Alexandra School of Motoring, Dublin |
Driving Tuition charges(i) Car(ii) Trucks |
(i) 50p per lesson(ii) 50p per lesson |
||
Carrigaline Pottery Ltd., County Cork |
Earthenware |
7.5% (average) |
||
RCC Engineering Ltd., County Cavan |
Cast iron products (e.g. baths, fires, slats) |
13.0% (average) |
||
Metal Products Ltd., Cork |
Nuts and Bolts |
5.5% |
||
Eden Vale (I) Ltd. |
Yogurt |
9.89% (average) |
||
Lamb Bros., (Dublin) Ltd. |
Jams, jellies, and marmalades etc. |
4.62% (average) |
||
McMullan Bros. Ltd., Dublin |
(i) Lubricants(ii) Handyman Oil(iii) Greases |
(i) 1p to 9p per litre(ii) 8p per dozen tins(iii) 3p per 50 kg. |
||
Premier Dairies Ltd., Dublin |
Buttermilk and slimline milk |
1½p per pint (retail) |
||
Hughes Dairy Ltd., Dublin |
Buttermilk and slimline milk |
1½p per pint (retail) |
||
Irish Press Ltd., Dublin |
(i) Advertising rates in Irish Press, Sunday Press and Evening Press(ii) Cover price of Sunday Press |
14.75% (average)1p per copy |
||
Irish Flour Millers' Association |
Bakers FlourShop FlourBakers WheatenmealShop Wheatenmeal |
£ per tonne19.6816.5411.6010.28 |
||
Chivers & Sons Ltd., Dublin |
Jams, jellies and marmalades |
3.14% (average) |
||
Kylemore Bakeries Ltd., Dublin |
Flour Confectionery products |
4.41% (average) |
||
Irish Bakery and Confectionery Trades Association |
400 gm loaf800 gm loaf1,600 gm loaf |
½p1½p3p |
||
Siemens Ltd., Dublin |
Service charges for domestic appliances (excluding televisions) |
(i) £8 for first 1/2 hour + VAT(ii) Introduction of mileage charge of 12p per mile over 15 miles |
||
The Irish Agricultural Organisation Society Ltd. (Butter Manufacturers Association) |
Butter |
An increase of 1½p per lb. at retail level |
||
Ergas Ltd., Arklow, County Wicklow |
Bottled Gas:(i) 26 lb. butane cylinder(ii) 24 lb. propane cylinder(iii) Dealers' margins |
(i) 4.5p per cylinder(ii) 4.5p per cylinder(iii) 1p per cylinder |
||
Alfred Bird & Sons (I) Ltd., Dublin |
Range of manufactured dessert products |
5% (average) |
||
Ground Limestone Producers Association |
Ground Limestone |
£0.27 per ton |
||
G.W.I. Ltd.—incorporating Cappincur Joinery Ltd. |
Joinery Products |
15% interim increase from 1 December 1977 |
||
Manpower (Ireland) Dublin |
Rates charged to clients |
Amounts ranging between 6.7% and 23% |
||
Sanbra Fyffe Ltd., Dublin |
(i) Plumbers' Brassware and Compression Couplings(ii) Plumbers' Brassware |
2.45%Alteration of trading terms resulting in additional annual revenue of £23,527 |
||
Ashtown Tinbox (Ireland) Ltd., Dublin |
Lever lid tins, drums and other general line products |
9.23% |
||
Flemings' Fireclays Ltd., County Kildare |
One hundred fireclay products |
3.80% (average) |
||
Ordnance Survey Office, Dublin |
Ordnance Survey large and small scale maps, related documents and services |
25% (average) |
||
William O'Brien (Plant Hire) Ltd., Dublin |
Charges for waste disposal service and rental |
29.67% (average) |
||
Associated Irish Gases Ltd., Dublin |
Bulk Liquid Carbon Dioxide |
1% |
||
Irish Industrial Gases Ltd., Dublin |
Industrial and Medical cylinder gases, cylinder rental and delivery service charges |
8.4% (average) |
||
William Fanagan Ltd., Dublin |
Hearse, motor hire and wreaths |
10% |
||
Robert Wilson & Sons Ireland Ltd. |
Meat and bone meal (bulk and bagged) |
£5.00 per tonne |
||
Leo Laboratories Ltd. |
Seven Medical products |
Amounts ranging between 15% and 50% (17.1% average) |
||
Penwalt of Ireland Ltd. |
Two veterinary products(i) Four lines(ii) Two lines |
(i) Amounts ranging between 12.1% and 15.8%(ii) Amounts ranging between 14.6% and 16.7% |
||
Glaxo Laboratories (I) Ltd., Dublin |
(i) Seven Pharmaceutical products(ii) Ethnine and Piriex |
Amounts ranging between 1.1% and 13.8%annual additional revenue of £3,625 |
||
Donegal Design Ltd. |
Clothing |
Amounts ranging between 4.35% and 11.41% |
||
Inisfree Handknits (Gaellinn Teo.) |
Hand-knitted goods |
15% |
||
Wiggins Teape (Ireland) Ltd., Dublin |
Envelopes, stationery and books |
6.8% |
||
Bord na Móna, Dublin |
(i) Moss Peat |
Increases sufficient to achieve additional annual revenue of £17,500 |
||
(ii) Milled Peat sold to ESB |
28.7p per tonne |
|||
Irish Ropes Ltd., Newbridge, County Kildare |
Five lines of carpet |
Amounts ranging between 3.23% and 9.1% |
||
Oerlikon Electrodes (Ireland) Ltd., Dublin |
Manual Are Welding Electrodes |
Amounts ranging between 8% and 12½% |
||
True Temper (Ireland) Ltd., County Cork |
Farm and garden tools |
6% |
||
Roux International Ltd., Dublin |
3 Hair Cosmetic lines |
Amounts ranging between 10 and 20% |
||
Youghal Carpets Ltd., Cork |
Carpets |
Amounts ranging between 4.5% and 7.3% |
||
Irish Ropes Ltd., Droichead Nua |
6 cordage products |
Amounts ranging between 2.4% and 14.5% |
||
Goulding Chemicals Ltd. |
Range of Horticultural Fertilisers |
10.8% (average) |
||
Arigna Collieries Ltd., County Roscommon |
All products (coals) |
£2.25 per ton |
||
Batchelors Ltd., Dublin |
Canned Soft Drinks |
4.6% |
||
Wexford Gas Consumers Co. Ltd. |
Town Gas:(i) First 50 therms per quarter(ii) Over 50 therms per quarter |
(i) 2.5p per therm(ii) 2.5p per therm |
||
Cork Taxi Association |
Charges for extra payments:(i) Baggage handling(ii) Unsocial hours (mid-night to 8.00 a.m.) and Bank Holidays including 25 and 26 December |
(i) Introduction of a charge of 10p per piece or item(ii) 10p per hiring |
||
Lever Bros. Ireland Ltd., Dublin |
(i) Household and Industrial Detergents and Toilet preparations (ii) Household detergents and toiletries |
(i) 4.6% average(ii) Increase of 2% average in cash margins |
||
Johnson Bros. Ltd., Dublin |
Jaybe, Sparkle and Drummer Products |
5.4% average |
||
National Board & Paper Mills Ltd., County Waterford |
All paper mill products |
13% average |
||
Raytex Ltd., Dublin |
13 paper products |
Increases ranging between 5p and 90p per unit |
||
Independent Newspapers Ltd., Dublin |
(i) Cover price of the “Sunday Independent”(ii) Advertising rates in Irish Independent, Sunday Independent, Evening Herald |
1p per copy15% (average) |
||
Smith & Nephew Southalls (Ireland) Ltd., County Dublin |
(i) Sanitary protection products |
(i) 4.26% average |
||
(ii) Golden Babe disposable nappies |
(ii) 3.6% average |
|||
(iii) Atrixo and Nivea |
(iii) 11.9% average |
|||
(iv) Imported Sanitary Protection Products and Elastoplast |
(iv) Increases in cash margins resulting in a increase of 1.15% average |
|||
Cheese |
NaturalProcessed |
£13.17 per ton (0.6p per lb.)£11.26 per ton (0.5p per lb.) |
||
Southern Chemicals Ltd., County Limerick |
Hydrated Lime |
1.96% average |
||
Nítrigin Éireann Íeo., Dublin |
Fertiliser (calcium ammonium nitrate 27½%) |
£2.82 per tonne |
||
Pump Services Ltd., Dublin |
Maintenance, repair installation and workshop charges |
22.0% average |
||
Waterford Ironfounders Ltd. |
All home market products |
1.67% average |
||
The Hospitals Joint Services Board |
Sterile goods and Central Linen Service charges |
20% average |
||
Mrs. Margaret Dineen, Sligo |
Hairdressing charges |
20% |
||
Bernard Hair Stylist |
Hairdressing charges |
5.47%-10% |
||
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland |
Charges for pathology services |
12% |
||
Zurich Insurance Co., Dublin |
Premium rates for Employers' Liability Insurance |
Application of a premium rate not exceeding £20, on the understanding that compensatory reductions are made in other rating categories so that there is no net increase in overall premium income |
||
National Cash Registers Ltd., Dublin |
Maintenance rates |
Amounts ranging between 8½% and 26½% |
||
Star Plastics Co. Ltd., County Cavan |
Plastic containers |
8.4% average |
||
Irish Containers Ltd., Dublin |
Stainless Steel Sinks |
7½% |
||
Basta Ltd., County Sligo |
(i) Mortice locks(ii) Cylinders and night latches(iii) All other door furniture |
(i) 5%(ii) 10%(iii) 4% |
||
I.C.I. (I) Ltd., Dublin |
3 Veterinary Products |
10% |
||
Irish Industrial Explosives Ltd., Dublin |
9 varieties of explosive |
Amounts ranging between 4.36% and 5.26% |
||
W. & C. McDonnell Ltd., Dublin |
Royco and St. Bernard Soups, Vesta Meals, Surprise Peas, Beans, Carrots, Savoury Rice, Catering Soups etc. |
4.25% |
||
Sunday Newspapers Ltd., Dublin |
(i) Cover price of the “Sunday World” |
(i) 1p per copy (i.e. from 15p to 16p) |
||
(ii) Advertising rates |
(ii) 15% |
|||
True Temper (Ireland) Ltd. |
(i) Beet Forks(ii) Potato Forks |
(i) 17%(ii) 4% |
||
Gardisette (I) Ltd. |
Polyester net curtain material |
4% average |
||
Navan Carpets Ltd. |
7 lines of carpet |
Increases ranging between 4.7% and 6.9% |
||
The Irish Dunlop Co. Ltd., Dublin |
4 lines of manufactured protective footwear |
Amounts ranging between 7.7% and 13.7% |
||
Thomas Crosbie & Co. Ltd., Cork |
Cover price of the “Evening Echo” |
2p per copy |
||
Chubb Fire Security (Ireland) Ltd., Dublin |
Rental and maintenance charges for fire alarm equipment |
15% average |
||
Beecham of Ireland Ltd. |
LucozadeLargeSmallRibenaStandardFamilyQuosh |
12%10%16%21%7.5% |
||
Fleetwood Ltd. |
Decorating Products |
-4.5% to +13.6% |
||
PMPA Insurance Co. Ltd., Dublin |
Motor Insurance premiums |
35% (average) |
||
Evode Industries Ltd., Dublin |
Complete range of adhesive and mastic products |
7.1% average |
||
Wm. McKinney & Sons Ltd., County Donegal |
Sugar and chocolate confectionery—chocolate and fruit assortments sold loosely and pre-packed under the “Oatfield” brand. |
8% (average) |
||
(a) Irish Bacon Curers Society Ltd.(b) Dublin Master Victuallers Association, Dublin |
Sausages |
3p per lb. |
||
Cross Refrigeration Ltd., Cork |
Service charges for commercial and industrial refrigeration and air conditioning equipment |
17.5% (average) |
||
Ever Ready (I) Ltd., Dublin |
Imported batteries, bulbs, lamps, torches etc. |
Increase in cash margins of 6.6% average |
||
Johnson & Johnson (I) Ltd., County Dublin |
Imported hospital products |
3% increase in cash margins |
||
The Irish Glass Bottle Co. Ltd., Dublin |
Glass bottles and containers |
6.09% average |
||
Metal Box Ltd. |
(i) Rental charges(ii) Maintenance charges |
(i) Increases sufficient to achieve additional annual revenue of £6,208(ii) Increases sufficient to achieve additional revenue of between £750 and £1,500 |
||
Irish Raleigh Industries Ltd. |
Complete range of bicycles |
7.5% average |
||
Amounts ranging from |
||||
Automobile Association, Dublin |
(i) Five Star—vehicle security |
(i) 10p to £10 |
||
(ii) Vehicle Inspection |
(ii) 35p to £3.60 |
|||
(iii) Hotel Registration Fees |
(iii) £7.50 to £12 |
|||
(iv) Membership Subscription |
(iv) 25p to £50 |