asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce why price increases sanctioned following recommendations by the National Prices Commission are announced only on RTE; and if he will henceforth cause appropriate advertisements for the information of the public to be inserted in the national and provincial Press.

Copies of all Press statements or price increases are issued to the national and provincial newspapers and normally receive wide coverage. I do not, accordingly, accept the Deputy's suggestion that price increases are announced only on RTE. It is of course, a matter for the media to decide what emphasis they wish to give to Press statements relating to price increases.

In their January, 1975 report, the National Prices Commission recommended that the practice of advertising, in the national newspapers on the date of publication of each NPC monthly report, the list of authorised price increases referred to in that report should be discontinued. The reasons for this recommendation are set out in detail in the report mentioned. Copies of the report are available in the Oireachtas Library and were circulated to each Deputy at the time of publication. The main reasons for the recommendation were as follows:

(i) Since price increases by firms, which had been wholly or partially exempted from price control, were not included in the list of price increases published in the advertisement, the list was no longer comprehensive.

(ii) Almost all of the price increases would have already been implemented before the date on which the relevant monthly report and the Press advertisement were published. Thus the list of price increases that appeared in the Press advertisement was more likely to confuse than inform the consumers.

I accepted the commission's recommendation. Since the circumstances under which the commission made their recommendation have not changed, I do not consider that the publication, by way of advertisements, of price increases authorised would be of any more benefit to the consumer at the present time.

Full details of all price increases recommended by the National Prices Commission continue to be published in their monthly reports. Copies of each report and a Press statement in relation to the report, are sent to all newspapers, national and provincial, and to RTE. The Press statement indicates whether I have accepted all of the commission's recommendations for price increases. An advertisement relating to the publication of the report is also inserted in the national newspapers.

When price increases are authorised for goods subject to maximum retail price orders, a separate Press statement is issued to the media and an advertisement giving details of the new maximum retail prices is inserted in the national newspapers. Similarly, in the case of other important commodities, a separate Press statement may be issued at the time of the increase in prices.

I disagree totally with the Parliamentary Secretary. He is aware that, for instance, when there are increases in social welfare benefits the news is trumpetted in the newspapers by way of large-scale advertisements but now there is a decision not to publish price increases. This is an attempt to cover up for the Government.

We are having a statement.

That is the reality.

But this is Question Time.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary not consider continuing the practice of publishing price increases? I understood that one of the main reasons for the discontinuance of this practice was the application of psychology by the commission in regard to inflation. Can the Parliamentary Secretary tell us what is meant by that and can he give some undertaking that price increases will continue to be published as before?

I do not think these advertisements were of any real value to the consumer. Much better use of the resources in regard to prices is now being made. In 1975 the commission reported that the cost of these advertisements was in the order of £30,000. As they recommended, this money can be put to much better use in other ways and one of the ways in which it is being used is in respect of the price line service whereby people who consider that they are overcharged in respect of any item can telephone their complaints in this regard and, in that way, effect redress. The publication of a long list of commodities of which only a small number might be of interest to an individual is not a useful exercise.

It is not nice.

This is a way out for the Government.

I might add that in respect of commodities which are the subject of National Price Commission orders and which subsequently may be the subject of complaint in regard to prices, the practice is to publish the new prices by way of advertisement.

This is one of the most dishonest statements we have ever had from the Parliamentary Secretary. Can he tell us how much the advertisements in respect of the increases in social welfare payments cost?

That is a separate question.

Perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary would get in touch with the price line service in this regard.

The Deputy can get in touch with them himself.

16.