asked the Taoiseach the average cost of a privately built three-bedroom house in 1935, 1945, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, and at present; and if he will state for the same years in so far as the figures are available to him the average prices of building materials and the average weekly wages of skilled and unskilled building workers.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Private Housebuilding Costs.
1.
Particulars of the average cost in various years of a privately built three-bedroom house are not available. Detailed particulars of the average rates of wages per hour and hours of work for various skilled occupations in the building trade and for builders' labourers are given in the series of official publications "Statistics of Wages, Earnings and Hours of Work". For certain years the data on hourly wage rates for the various occupations in the principal towns have been combined in the form of index numbers of hourly wage rates. The data available in respect of the changes in the prices of building materials over the years specified can also be best presented in the form of an index number.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to circulate in the Official Report a statement giving the index numbers of hourly wage rates together with the price index number for building materials and particulars of the average weekly earnings for a week in October of male wage-earners 18 years of age and over engaged in building and construction, which are derived from the returns received in the annual Census of Industrial Production.
Following is the statement:—
INDEX of Hourly Wage Rates in the building trade, Wholesale Price Index of building materials and average weekly earnings of male wage-earners in Building and Construction.
|
Year |
Index of Hourly Wage Rates at the beginning of year |
Wholesale Price Index of Building Materials (Annual Average) |
Average Weekly Earnings of Male Wageearners 18 years of age and over (October) |
||
|
Builders' Labourers |
Tradesmen and Builders' Labourers |
||||
|
Base 1953=100 |
|||||
|
s. |
d. |
||||
|
1935 |
38.2 |
44.3 |
(32)*(year 1936) |
55 |
9(1937) |
|
1945 |
53.4 |
55.3 |
(81)* |
81 |
5 |
|
1955 |
99.8 |
100.1 |
98.6 |
163 |
6 |
|
1960 |
126.2 |
123.6 |
109.5 |
192 |
3 |
|
1961 |
129.1 |
126.6 |
112.0 |
212 |
10 |
|
1962 |
148.6 |
144.3 |
114.7 |
226 |
2 |
|
1963 |
148.6 |
146.9 |
115.0 |
n.a. |
|
|
1964 |
169.7 |
166.2 |
121.1 (Aug. 1964) |
n.a. |
n.a. = not yet available.
*Derived from Census of Production data.