In view of the reply of the Parliamentary Secretary and his long speech and his support of the system——

You will hear more.

——by which increases are granted, could the Parliamentary Secretary tell me how the Minister or the Department can justify an increase of 25 per cent granted in the price of cement when a few weeks afterwards the company in their annual report published the fact that they had made 34 per cent more profit than in the previous year?

And with a reduced output.

We are having separate questions.

If the Deputy wishes to pose a question in relation to a particular price increase such as cement he may put down a separate question but every price increase is carefully scrutinised by the National Prices Commission and it is worth noting the procedures which must be gone through before a price increase is granted. The application must give details to the Prices Division and to the Prices Commission who are an independent body, fully documented in relation to increases in overheads and materials and material costs. These must be specifically documented. Their wage cost increases, if these are being used to claim increased prices must also be within the terms of the national pay agreement. It is only after these have been carefully scrutinised and passed as correct by the National Prices Commission and a recommendation made that a decision is made by the Minister to grant an increase.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that it pays people from foreign countries to come here to purchase, to hire an aeroplane and fly in from France, for instance, to buy goods because they are so cheap here?

I saw a hotel room last week chock-full with a French party that had come here specially for the purpose mentioned by the Deputy.

You will see more of them.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the price increase granted for cement was published and sanctioned by his Minister——

The Deputy has already adverted to that matter. That is not a question on today's Order Paper.

Is he aware that the 34 per cent profit which they published was in their annual report? The Parliamentary Secretary said careful scrutiny is given to all applications, but how can he justify saying this application was properly scrutinised in view of the published facts?

On the grounds mentioned to me already when I said that each of the claimed costs on which the increase was based were carefully scrutinised by the National Prices Commission and further, it is not necessarily the case that profits made by a particular company, for instance in the case of Cement Limited, in respect of the operation of the total group reflect those made in respect of the production of cement.

They got the profits.