asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state the number of occasions since March 31st last on which officials of his Department have attended conferences abroad, the nature of such conferences, the names of the officials and their qualifications.

As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to have it circulated in the official report. The statement gives particulars of attendance outside this country on 46 occasions by officials of my Department at conferences related to the work of the Department. It is not the practice to give the names of officials in replies to parliamentary questions. The other particulars asked for by the Deputy are shown in the statement, including the grade of the officer, which is an indication of the officer's qualifications.

The statement is as follows:—

PARTICULARS of attendance by Officials of Department of Agriculture at Conferences outside the Country since 31/3/53.