Is it a fact the Minister has restarted bilateral negotiations with the French in the hope and expectation of getting their agreement to some sort of arrangement designed to get Irish lamb into France?

As I said, this matter is under continuous consideration and I am not now in a position to give the answer.

I do not accept that as a reply. That is an evasive answer to a straight question. This tactic failed over a period of three years and it will fail again. The Minister should have enough sense to know that.

The Deputy will agree he is now asking a question that has no relation to any of the three questions on the Order Paper.

Oh yes, it has.

It is a separate question and should be pursued as such.