§ MR. KETTLE (Tyrone, E.)To ask the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether exhaustive and reliable statistics of Irish production, imports, and exports are available; whether legislation is necessary to endow the Department of Agriculture with the powers requisite for compiling them; and, if so, does he propose to introduce such legislation.
(Answered by Mr. T. W. Russell.) The available statistics of Irish imports and exports, as explained in the Report issued by the Department on the trade in imports and exports at Irish ports in 1905, are neither complete as regards the quantities of the commodities imported and exported, nor exact as regards the values of the said quantities. The Department have at present no statutory powers enabling them to require returns of imports and exports, and the information at present collected and published has been obtained by voluntary arrangement with the Irish harbour authorities and with shipping companies trading between Ireland and Great Britain or other countries. The Department consider that the existing system is inadequate, and that they should be given statutory, powers enabling them to obtain complete and accurate returns. A Bill is being prepared with a view to obtaining such powers. With regard to "production," the Board of Trade are collecting statistics of Irish production under the provisions of the Census of Production Act.