asked the Taoiseach the percentage increase in price for each of the food items in the Consumer Price Index since the present Government assumed office.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to circulate in the Official Report a statement giving the percentage price changes between mid-August 1977 and mid-November 1978 for the food items distinguished in the Consumer Price Index. The index is calculated in respect of mid-February, mid-May, mid-August and mid-November each year.

Following is the statement:

Percentage price changes between mid-August 1977 and Mid-November 1978 for the food items distinguished in the Consumer Price Index.

While I appreciate that it is normal practice to give this type of information by way of a tabular statement, would the Minister kindly indicate which item of food bore the biggest increase in the period referred to and what was the percentage increase involved?

The list is very long.

As we suspected.

If the Deputy is interested in one item, the answer is tomatoes.

No red faces on that one.

5.

asked the Taoiseach the percentage by which the Consumer Price Index has increased since the Government assumed office.

The Consumer Price Index is calculated in respect of mid-February, mid-May, mid-August and mid-November each year. Between mid-August, 1977 and mid-November, 1978 the index rose by 9.8 per cent.

Is the Minister satisfied with the situation in terms of price increases in that period?

I have given a correct account and I hope the Deputy is not suggesting that I should give a false figure.

Would the Minister agree that the average increase in the price of food stuffs was considerably more than 9 per cent in the period referred to and that this situation imposes considerable hardship on those people for whom food constitutes by far the biggest proportion of income?

Despite the fact that the Deputy is endeavouring to create the impression that food prices in the period concerned increased by more than 9.8 per cent, I have given him the correct figure.

Is the Minister saying that there was not an increase of more than 9.8 per cent in the cost of any one food item?

I am not saying that but I have given the average figure. That was what was asked for.

Was the average in respect of all items or in respect of food items? There is a difference.

I gave the figure for the Consumer Price Index.

(Cavan-Monaghan): I did not hear the dates given by the Minister but can he tell us whether the figure he gave takes account of the removal of food subsidies?

Unfortunately, the Opposition members would not seem to be listening. The latest period for which we have a figure is mid-November, 1978 and we will not have another figure until the middle of this month. If the Deputy had waited for another short while he would have been given the mid-February figure.

We shall put down another question.

The reply may disappoint the Deputy.

(Cavan-Monaghan): It would not be a big job to add on the effect of the removal of the food subsidies.

I shall leave that to the Deputy.

It will be left to the people who have to pay.

Would the Minister agree that the election slogan "Big Rise in Prices. Vote Fianna Fáil", was purely a cynical exercise.

That question is not relevant.

That was at a time when inflation was at a rate of more than 20 per cent.

I would not accept Deputy O'Keeffe's opinion.