Why does the Minister regard it as proper that members of the board of the IDA, some of whom have private interests, should be privy to a feasibility study and that a private company, New Jersey Zinc, should be privy to marketing strategies, and so on, and that report cannot be placed before the Houses of the Oireachtas in the Dáil Library? Does he agree that strategy of the Government contrasts very strangely with their decision on the publication of agreements relating to Bula? Secrecy for one and publication for the other?

Undoubtedly the Deputy is aware those are not the facts of the situation. New Jersey Zinc have indicated that much of the report, especially the sections dealing with marketing, financial and economic evaluation, and process selection should be treated as strictly confidential because the information on these aspects would be valuable to commercial competitors of the smelter.

Is the Minister aware that spokesmen for New Jersey Zinc have indicated publicly and in other areas certain internal strategies of that report? Why cannot his Department make available at this stage to the Oireachtas and to Opposition spokesmen the prospect of evaluating the different strategies in the report?

In my original reply I emphasised that, when the final decision has been taken, a review of the question of publication with the other principals in the project will be undertaken. It is not a closed door as yet. The whole question of publication will be reviewed in the light of the final decision.