asked the Minister for Agriculture how the EEC aid for accelerated animal disease eradication will be used in Ireland; the diseases to be covered; the amount and commencement date of the payments; if, when, and the amount in which, such aid will be available to other EEC member states.

: EEC aid received under the terms of the relevant Council directives must be used to secure a significant shortening of the period of time necessary for successfully completing eradication plans as compared with the time taken by programmes hitherto in operation. Plans to accelerate the eradication of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis have been forwarded to the EEC Commission and the Commission's decision on these plans is expected shortly. The Community aid would apply to cattle slaughtered during a three-year period from a commencement date which will be written into the Commission's decision. The first payments to this country will not take place until sometime in 1979. The amount payable to the member state is 60 units of account per cow and 30 units of account per bovine animal other than cows slaughtered under approved plans.

Aid is available on similar terms to other EEC member states whose plans to accelerate the eradication of bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis and leukosis are approved by the EEC Commission.