asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state the total quantity and value of (1) household coal, and (2) coal other than household coal, imported into the Free State (1) from Great Britain, and (2) from countries other than Great Britain during the ten months ended 31st October, 1933, and 31st October, 1934, and the 31st October, 1935, and the average value per ton; and if he will state the basis upon which the value of such coal imports is reckoned.

I am circulating with the Official Report a statement giving the desired information.

The statement referred to is as follows:—

Quantity, Total Value and Average Value per ton of (1) Household Coal, (2) Coal other than Household Coal imported into Saorstát Eireann from Great Britain and from Other Countries in each ten month period ended 31st October, 1933, 1934 and 1935:—

The value represents the cost, insurance and freight to the place of importation.

The particulars cannot be very detailed. Will the Minister say what the basis is upon which the value of such imports is reckoned?

Cost, insurance and freight to the port of importation.

What is the amount of freight from the British side to the Irish side?

I cannot say.

Is the Minister aware that the average price of coal exported from Great Britain during the ten months ended October of this year was, according to the British statistics, 3/4 less than the average price of coal imported here, according to the figures given in the trade statistics for the Free State for 1935, and 4/- less than the average price of coal imported into the Free State during the ten months ended October of last year? If that is so, will the Minister say why there is 9/- more per ton on coal which is being sold by importers to the bell-men in Dublin at the present time?

That is a separate question.

Supplementary questions are, presumably, asked for the purpose of eliciting more information than is contained in the reply given by the Minister. In this case the Minister's reply, which is in tabular form, will be printed in Official Reports. The House is not in possession of the reply. If the Deputy has further questions to put, arising out of the reply, I suggest that he should put them on the Order Paper.

Will the Minister take steps to ensure that undue profiteering will not take place in Dublin or in the rural districts as regards the price of coal?

He has not done that up to the present.