asked the Minister for Finance whether he was approached by the National Stud in relation to the purchase of any sire in 1968 or 1969; and, if so, if he will state the name of the stallion and the price that was expected for it.

The purchase of sires for the National Stud is the responsibility of the board of the Irish National Stud Company. The board, however, informed me last autumn, as a matter of courtesy, that they had decided to buy the sire "Tudor Music" for £120,000. I was not approached in relation to the purchase of any sire in 1968. Prior to the passing of the National Stud Act, 1969, the board had no funds at its disposal for this purpose and no sires were, in fact, acquired by the company in 1968.