asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the date on which the Dairy Disposal Company report for 1970 was received in his Department; why the report was sent to his Department and not directly to the Dáil; when the report will be laid before the Dáil; if it will be available to the public through the Government Publications Sale Office; and if he will give an assurance as to the promptitude of future reports of the company.

First of all, I should explain that, while the Dairy Disposal Company as a private limited company under the Companies Acts is under no statutory obligation to present a report or to publish it, it has been the practice to present its report to both Houses. It is in accordance with normal procedure that the presentation would be arranged through my Department.

The report for 1970 was received in my Department on 23rd December, 1971, and will be presented to both Houses within the next week or two. Future reports will be presented as promptly as circumstances permit.

Could the Minister tell me what the Department have been doing with this report since 23rd December, 1971?

The Deputy will realise that the staff which would normally examine this report and prepare it for presentation to the Government and to the Houses of the Oireachtas were very busy doing EEC work. That particular section of the staff of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries have been working very hard, indeed, and I think that EEC priority should come first.

Does the Minister realise the rigmarole he is telling us?

That is not a rigmarole.

Does the Minister think we are children? It is mere stencilling of the report.

It is not mere stencilling of the report. You cannot stencil the report until you examine first what it says.

Some years ago I looked after this report and the amount of work is negligible.

It would need to be like that.

I do not accept that Deputy O'Donovan's interpretation has any relation to the question put down by Deputy Bruton.

It has. It is a mere stencilling of the report.

I further say that there has been no inordinate delay——

What would be an inordinate delay?

——in the presentation of the report. I would also like to pay tribute to the staff of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries whose time is employed in far more important work than this.

Will the Minister tell us what is to stop the Dairy Disposal Board presenting their own report to the Dáil? Surely they are capable of drawing up the report themselves? Surely they should not have to present it to the Department to get it stencilled?

They do not have to present their report to anybody.

Why do they not present it to us?

They do, in fact, but there is no obligation on them to do that.

Question No. 38.

They present it to the Minister's Department.

This report has not taken a long time.

It is long overdue.

The audit of the accounts and examination of the report takes a considerable time.

Would they not do that themselves?

How would that delay compare with the position of bodies associated with other Departments?

I have not the faintest idea.

Surely the Minister knows it is an inordinately long time?

I do not accept that. I do not accept the underlying suggestion in all this chat that there is someone culpable in the Department.

We want to get on to Question No. 38.

The Minister will agree that there has been a long delay?

No, I will not agree with that.

Will the Minister not agree that the Department of Finance would not accept that from any company?

There is no obligation on the Dairy Disposal Company to present their reports.

They do not get any money from this House?

If the Deputy wants to know about the set-up of the Dairy Disposal Company he should put down a question.

Is the Minister aware that the law requires that a company produces a report within 15 months of the previous report?

I do not think that when we are dealing with questions in connection with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries it is the time for a lesson in law from Deputy O'Donovan. I do not think the Deputy is being very helpful in this instance.

We cannot debate this question all afternoon. I am calling Question No. 38.