asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is satisfied with the present facilities at ports in the Republic for the live export of sheep.

The facilities referred to by the Deputy are not entirely satisfactory The responsibility for providing adequate export facilities at our ports is primarily a matter for those engaged in the export and shipment of livestock, including sheep, and my Department have been engaged in discussions with the various interests involved with a view to having improvements effected.

Would the Minister agree that the live export of sheep is worth £2½ million annually and that during the summer months there is high humidity in some of the waters into which the ships sail and that the available ships are not suitable for the humane carriage of sheep? In view of the seasonal nature of the trade, does the Minister agree that there is a case for Government intervention to ensure that adequate shipping arrangements are available for this one commodity for which there is no common policy and for which exceptional measures are necessary?

I do not know what the Deputy means by "Government intervention" in shipping facilities that might be provided for the live export of sheep, presumably to Third World countries. What I have told the Deputy is that we are trying to find better means of exporting live sheep through our negotiations with the parties concerned.