asked the Minister for Defence if, in relation to cattle bought for beef production, he will state, in respect of each of the months January to September, 1956 (a) the price paid to his Department for (i) hides, per lb., (ii) offals, per lb., (iii) blood, per pint; and (b) the total amount of receipts under each heading.

As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to have it circulated with the Official Report.

Following is the statement:—

Average price per lb. for hides and total receipts under each heading:—

The prices for hides vary according to classification.

Offals are not sold by weight but by the item, e.g. heads, tongues, hearts, tails, etc. The sales of blood are from the Curragh abattoir only. It is not the practice to disclose actual contract prices.