Could I ask the Minister if, in the event of any local authority including the Dublin one making a decision to have such a campaign which the Minister obviously would subscribe to, funds would be forthcoming from the Department in view of the depleted funds at present in the hands of the local authorities? Will the Minister make funds available for such a campaign, which would be in the national interests?

Funds would be made available in the normal way.

(Cavan-Monaghan): How many more week-end meetings will the Minister have?

The position in regard to the overall supply of water available is that preliminary work com-menced on the 16 November on contract four of the Liffey aquaduct water supply scheme after major difficulties and delays in acquiring the necessary agreements.

That is all very interesting but it is totally irrelevant to the question.

Work should commence on contract five and contract six in early 1979. This scheme for which loans totalling £3.365 million have been provided will, when completed in mid-1980, provide an additional 20 million gallons per day, which will be sufficient to provide an adequate supply to the Dublin area into the 1980s.

The question I asked was in relation to a publicity campaign, and the Minister's reply is totally irrele-vant to that. May I ask the Minister to say yes or no to the simple question. If publicity campaigns are agreed by the local authorities would his Department be sympathetic to funding such campaigns?

I will examine the position as to whether the Department is legally entitled to fund such a campaign.