asked the Minister for Finance the total grant allocations made to Ireland and the total contributions made by Ireland in respect of funds of the European Community in each year since accession.

The information sought by the Deputy is substantially as already published in the six-monthly reports to the Oireachtas on Developments in the European Communities (Annex II). However, the published figures are subject to some minor amendments so as to update them in the light of the most recent information available. The updated figures are in the form of a tabular statement which I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to have circulated with the Official Report.

As the Deputy will see, the table contains figures for the amounts approved by way of grants and loans and the amounts of Ireland's contributions in respect of the years 1973, 1974 and 1975. Figures for the period 1st January, 1976, to 31st May, 1976, are currently being compiled and will be contained in Annex II to the Seventh Report to the Oireachtas on Developments in the European Communities which is to be published shortly.

I should like to point out that, due to Community procedures, decisions on applications submitted in a particular year, or the final adjustments to amounts approved, are often delayed until later years. As a result, the figures quoted for 1975 do not necessarily represent the final amount of Community grants and subsidies approved in respect of that year.

SUBSIDIES, Grants and Loans from European Community funds approved for Ireland and Ireland's contributions to the European Communities in respect of 1973, 1974 and 1975.

NOTES:

1. Apart from amendments owing to (a) rounding and (b) more up-to-date information the figures in the above table correspond to the figures shown in Annex II of the six-monthly Reports to the Oireachtas on Developments in the European Communities.

2. In addition to the headings shown in the table receipts also arise as a result of the Community regulations on social security for migrant workers. Ireland's receipts under this heading were £1.5 million in 1973, £1.3 million in 1974 and £2.0 million in 1975.

I only have available to me those figures in the various reports which the Minister has indicated which are not quite up to date, but the Minister will take it in any event that the net benefit to Ireland accruing by virtue of our accession, and our Treaty of Accession negotiated by the Fianna Fáil Government, is very considerable from the basis of the information available to me. In terms of grants alone in 1973, the net benefit would have been £36 million.

Order. Deputy O'Kennedy knows that it is not in order to quote at Question Time. Indeed questions are for the purposes of eliciting information and not imparting it.

It has been reported to me that the figures do not coincide. In 1974, £63 million and in 1975, £108 million.

Order.

Does the Minister accept from that that in fact we have gained to a very considerable extent, simply by virtue of the terms negotiated in our Treaty of accession? If the Minister has to accept that, will he not further accept that the excuses which the Minister and his Government have been making for so long about external factors influencing our economy to its disadvantage are the very opposite of the truth?

Membership of the EEC will not save Ireland or any other country from all the consequences of the global economic turmoil of the last two years. It would be facile to argue that it could, because the whole community has suffered as a result of the global upheaval, and indeed many other countries of the EEC have suffered even more severely as far as economic growth is concerned than we in Ireland, which is of great significance. Unemployment growth has been greater in most EEC countries than it has been here, but EEC membership alone cannot protect this country against the consequences of the global recession and the enormous price rises, particularly in energy, over the last two years. Nobody on the Government side has ever argued that the EEC could protect this country against the ravages of the worst world recession for the last 40 years.

I would like to bring to the attention of the Ceann Comhairle the fact that the Minister has not replied to any of the questions I submitted and indeed has not obeyed the rules in relation to brevity and relevance which were laid down by the Ceann Comhairle. I again ask the Minister if the figures themselves do not clearly underline that we have by virtue of our Treaty of Accession, negotiated by the Fianna Fáil Government, been significant beneficiaries, and in the one area where this Government should have bent themselves with some enthusiasm—the area of regional policy—they have miserably failed? In view of that would the Minister finally acknowledge that far from excusing ourselves by reference to the Minister's failure——

This is becoming a speech, Deputy.

It is important.

Order. We cannot debate matters at Question Time.

For the health of the Government and the nation it is time it was acknowledged that this Government without Community benefit would be——

Please, Deputy O'Kennedy, this is not in order. If the Deputy wants to debate the EEC he must do so at some other time. He may not do so now.

May I ask one other question? Would the Minister accept that if this Administration still had to subsidise our agricultural exports to Britain particularly, in the same way as the previous Administration, instead of the considerable benefits they are now enjoying they would actually have to find something in the order of £100 million?

The Deputy has made a long speech. I want to move on to other questions.

Does the Minister not accept that the Government are not using their advantages?

Having made up for the lack of enthusiasm on the part of the Fianna Fáil Party in their efforts to persuade the people of Ireland to join the European Community I shall not argue against anything the Deputy has said in favour of membership of the EEC. Of course this country has been a net beneficiary of membership quite substantially and our current problems would be a great deal worse were we not a member of the Community. We have never argued otherwise but all the benefits of EEC membership for this or any other country are not sufficient to protect us from the consequences of the international economic turmoil of the last few years. If the Deputy will not believe that from me, may I suggest that he consult the economic adviser to the Fianna Fáil Party? I do not want to name him here but he is well known and I understand that the Deputy is still on speaking terms with him.

We are only concerned with membership.

Order. Question No. 9.