asked the Minister for Defence if he will consider the advisability of permitting Army lorries and members of the Defence Forces to be used for the transport of fuel during the present period of emergency and scarcity; and if he will see that any Orders which operate to prevent the cutting down of trees will be modified during the present crisis.

The answer to the first part of the question is that, since I am unaware of a shortage either of civilian transport or labour, the employment of Army transport or personnel in the circumstances envisaged by the Deputy does not appear to call for consideration.

With regard to the second part of the question, I would refer the Deputy to the reply given to Deputy Coburn's and Deputy Flanagan's Questions No. 42 and No. 43 on the same subject.

Do I understand from the Parliamentary Secretary that he is refusing to allow Army lorries or Army men to go down to take any timber to those greatly in need of it in Dublin and other parts of the country? The Minister must be aware that the scarcity of transport——

There is no scarcity.

I ask the Minister to let us know if the matter will be reconsidered, so as to allow Army lorries and men to go down and take back the timber.

There is no scarcity of lorry transport.

I am now making a complaint to the Minister that there is a scarcity of transport.

The Deputy must ask a supplementary question.

I am asking. The Parliamentary Secretary says there is not a scarcity. I am trying to convince him that there is a scarcity. I am asking him will be not have the matter reconsidered and give facilities to have the timber brought into the streets of Dublin as quickly as possible in order to save further hardships.

May I suggest that the same procedure be adopted as elsewhere where transport was got to bring the timber in?

Question 45.

This matter is so serious that I think it is worthy of more consideration.

Deputy O'Higgins.

It is a very great hardship. Is he refusing to give us the lorries to bring the timber to Dublin?

asked the Minister for Defence if he will give instructions to have some of the Army fuel reserves in the City of Dublin issued to the poor in the neighbourhood of Army barracks.

Recent deliveries of fuel to barracks in the City of Dublin have been very poor, and unless an early improvement takes place existing stocks are likely to be soon exhausted. In the circumstances, I do not propose to issue the instructions suggested by the Deputy.

What has been the cause of the poor supply of fuel to the barracks?

The same cause as obtains everywhere.

Have the Army made any special attempt to increase stocks of fuel this year?

They have been doing their very best.