asked the Minister for Health the number of abortions carried out in Britain on women normally resident in the Republic for the years 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971; and if he will make a statement on the increase or otherwise in the number of such abortions.

According to figures provided by the British Office of Population Censuses and Surveys the number of abortions carried out in Britain on women said to be usually resident in the Republic of Ireland in the years mentioned were as follows:

I have no statement to make on these statistics.

Would the Minister not consider it a great tragedy that this should happen and would his Department not look into the matter with a view to preventing women from having abortions? May I bring it to the Minister's attention also that the figures quoted by him are different from those quoted in Hansard last week?

I have given the Deputy the figures we have. We do not know whether in certain cases the women who made these unfortunate decisions had become pregnant while resident in England. It would be useless to undertake any inquiries for the purpose of ascertaining that information.

Perhaps the Minister would check his figures against those given in Hansard?

If the Deputy were to undertake a sociological study of this problem he would find that there would be no useful comment I could make at this stage in this regard.

Are there not aspects of this problem that need attention and would the Minister not ask his Department to look into the matter?

That would not lead to any useful conclusion.

How does the Minister know that?

Studies have been made already on this matter.

I am calling Question No. 26.

Regardless of the figures that were published in Hansard last week, let me point out that the figures given to us today show an increase in four years from 64 to 577. Is that not a serious matter?

It is a serious matter but I cannot do anything about it.

Surely the Minister is not serious when he tells us that he is not responsible for 577 murders?

Everything is being done to help women who are to have illegitimate children. Facilities are provided for them. Arrangements are made for them to stay with families here. The adoption procedure is working very well and the number of children who remain in hospital because they are not adopted is very few. Therefore, everything is being done to help women who find themselves in this unfortunate predicament to have their children here.

Is there any organisation involved in this work at the moment?

There is.

There is not. There are a few voluntary workers who are working under great strain and difficulty. The Minister has an obligation to do something about the problem.

The voluntary organisation is working very well. If any Deputy has any proposal as to how we could improve the position in regard to unmarried mothers, I would be very glad to hear from him.

That is the Minister's responsibility.

Can the Minister say whether his attention has been directed to the existence of an abortion agency in this city? This agency facilitates any girl who is prepared to pay a sum of £160. The cost includes air fare and full medical facilities abroad as well as a taxi to take her from the airport to a clinic. Have the Department taken any action in this regard?

I have no knowledge of any such organisation.

The information must be in the Department because I have sent it to them by letter.