asked the Minister for Supplies if his Department recently made an Order covering the importation of cloth under a certain price, and if the merchant tailors have made representations that, as a result of this Order, some persons who have export licences from England cannot obtain permission to bring in the goods to Eire, and that other people who have permission to bring in goods here cannot obtain an export licence for cloth at the price allowed by the Department of Supplies.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Importation of Cloth.
I would refer the Deputy to my statements in reply to questions in the Dáil on the 30th ultimo. I should add that on the 13th instant it was officially announced that import licences would be issued under the Emergency Powers (Importation of Fabrics) Order, 1942, for fabrics arriving in this country up to the 30th June, 1942, without reference to type or price. Persons who have British export licences for goods already on order should be able to arrange to have these goods landed in this country by the 30th June. Representations were made by the merchant tailors to the effect that the restriction on imports of woollen and worsted fabrics into certain classifications and price limits would deprive them of supplies because they do not and cannot use fabrics conforming to the standards of type and price originally announced. The question of the extent, if any, to which it will be possible to permit the importation after the 30th June of fabrics not conforming to these standards of type and price has not yet been fully determined; but, if satisfactory arrangements can be made that will avoid any consequential loss of supplies, facilities will not be granted for the importation of the types of fabrics which the merchant tailors desire to import.
Is the Minister aware that the consideration of applications for licences to his Department is very much in arrear, at least a week in some cases and, possibly, more, and that it takes three weeks to get a reply from the other side? In these circumstances a time-table to the 30th June will be a very difficult thing for importers to surmount.
I do not see the point of the Deputy's query. Every person concerned has been informed that licences will be issued for any cloth imported before the 30th June.
They have made application for licences and have not got them.
What do they want a licence for?
Then they can bring in the cloth and the Minister will give them the licence?
They have been told that they will get a licence for the cloth if the cloth comes in before the 30th June.
Then they are foolish to wait until they get a licence and ought to proceed to bring in the cloth.
Certainly.
The result will be that we will not get any cloth at all.