asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the names and location of the licensed manufacturers of tobacco qualified to receive rebate under Section 20, sub-section (3) of the Finance Act, 1932 (No. 20 of 1932), and Section 18 of the Finance Act, 1934, (No. 31 of 1934); the date from which they are so qualified, the amount of the authorised capital of the company, the amount of the paid-up capital of the company, and the qualifying date; the total amount of rebate paid to the company up to the 31st March, 1935; the number of wage-earners employed immediately before the qualifying date, and the average total wages paid weekly at that time, and the number of wage-earners employed on the 31st March, 1935; and the average total wages paid weekly at that time.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Tobacco Industry Wage-Earners.
The first part of the question should be addressed to the Minister for Finance. The number of wage-earners employed at mid-November, 1931 (which is the nearest date before the qualifying date for which the statistics are available) by the 10 licensed manufacturers of tobacco qualified to receive rebate under the Finance Acts of 1932 and 1934 was 485. The corresponding figure for 31st March, 1935, is not available but the total number of persons engaged (including salaried employees as well as wage-earners) by these 10 firms on 1st March, 1935, was 826. Weekly wages paid immediately prior to the qualifying date or at 31st March, 1935, are not available, but, the total amounts of wages paid by the 10 firms in the years 1931 and 1934 were £41,285 and £56,683 respectively.
Will the Minister say why it is possible in reference to the position on 31st March or so to give the amount of wages paid but it is not possible for him to differentiate between the wage-earners and the persons in receipt of salaries? If I repeat the question on that point within a week or two will he be able to give the information?
I could not answer that question. I have not got the information now.
Are we to understand from the Minister that, where a special rebate has been given in order to secure that certain Irish companies will keep in production and operation, the Department does not take any steps to see how the number of wage-earners from year to year corresponds with the number of wage-earners that were employed before the rebate was given?
The Deputy should not understand that.
Would it not be reasonable, when a special rebate is given in order to keep firms in production, or afraid they would be put out of production, that the Minister for Finance or the Minister for Industry and Commerce should watch how the number of wage-earners in the concerns vary from year to year? I should like the Minister to understand that, considering he ought to do that, I will put the question in a week or so to him again, because I submit it is important, if he knows the number of wage-earners that were there before they qualified and the number of wage-earners and persons in receipt of salaries there now, he ought to be able to differentiate between the wage-earners and the persons in receipt of salaries.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state whether he has caused any inquiry to be made into the reasons why the number of wage-earners in the tobacco industry fell from 2,317 on the 1st September, 1931, to 2,198 on the 1st March, 1935; and, if so, if he will state the reasons; and, if not, if he will state whether he proposes to inquire into the matter with a view to ascertaining the reasons; and if he will state the total number of wage-earners employed on 1st September, 1935.
I do not consider that an inquiry of the nature referred to in the Deputy's question is called for in regard to the tobacco industry. The total number of wage-earners employed in the industry on the 1st September, 1935, according to voluntary returns received by my Department, was 2,265.