asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy the imports of oil commodities, crude oil, refined oil, gas oil, petrol and so on, for each quarter of 1977, 1978 and the first quarter of 1979; and the steps if any, being taken to avoid a crisis of supply in future.

I would refer the Deputy to the appropriate volumes of the Stationery Office publication, Trade Statistics of Ireland, for information about imports of oil into Ireland during 1977 and 1978.

Published figures for all oil imports during the first quarter of 1979 are not available but I am informed by the Central Statistics Office that the imports for January-February 1979 are as follows:

While in recent weeks there has been a short-fall in some oil products I do not accept that there is a crisis as such in oil supplies. There have been and still are problems in meeting our full requirements. The information available to me indicates that there have been considerable increases in sales of most oil products, including motor gasoline and gas/diesel oil, in this country in the first quarter of 1979. So far as the future is concerned I would like to assure the Deputy that everything possible will be done to improve the security of our oil supplies.

We are now in the month of May, and would the Minister agree that the fact that the Minister responsible for the supply of oil in the country has not got the relevant figures for the first quarter of 1979 seems indicative of his incompetence in relation to his knowing——

This is not a question, Deputy.

——what is happening? Is he further aware of the continuing lack of certain oil products, specifically petrol, gas oil and in certain cases diesel oil? Is he aware that we are in the middle of the farming season in relation to the requirements of certain oil products and that these are not available? Will he make a statement on this matter?

Neither I nor my Department are responsible for compiling statistics of the imports to this country. The Central Statistics Office have supplied this information in accordance with the normal practice, and it would not be normal for them to have a detailed breakdown of this kind of import for later than the end of February. That applies to all imports and not just to this commodity.

Is the Minister further aware that we are apparently the only country in the EEC currently suffering a lack of certain oil-based products? Does he feel that he should have this information available to him on a monthly basis, perhaps in the first week of each month, and that the fact that he has not the statistics available to him shows that he is not interested in this very vital question?

The Deputy was not present yesterday when we had some 15 questions on the same subject with the answers to the questions he is asking now, and hence this is repetition. I am aware that the Deputy was not here.

I have my own question down and I am quite entitled to ask it.

I am pointing out that repetition would not be in order.

I am well aware of the current stock situation in the country, which is a totally different matter from that to which this question relates, which is a detailed breakdown of imports. The CSO who provide this information have not got it in this detail for after 15 February 1979, and that is normal practice.

Is the Minister aware that the CSO derive this data from returns by Government officials who are responsible for monitoring imports and that the information is available to them currently, and that for him to rely on the published statistics of the CSO means that he must await the arrival of the last imports statistics for any commodity before being published and shows on his part a certain lack of initiative?

The import figures are of much less consequence than the figure of stocks. We are now aware to a high degree of accuracy what stocks are. I suggest that that is what matters.

The Minister was not aware of the fact that the figures were available through Government officials and he has not bothered to inquire.

That is not so. The CSO have the responsibility for compiling import figures in respect of all commodities.

They have these figures——

I am not prepared to give unofficial figures that are not given by the CSO.

I am talking about official figures. There are Government officials from whom the Minister could get the information if he had any initiative in the matter.

They have not got even the emigration figures.

But we held a census last month.

Order, please.

Would the Minister agree that he has responsibility in relation to the overall supply of oil and oil products to the country? Could he explain to the House why the necessary statistics were not available to him in the past few months? Further, would he tell the House why this crisis was allowed to develop?

This is repetition of a whole series of questions from yesterday.

This is a crisis which is not evident in other countries who are members of the EEC.

It is not true to say that this country is the only one that has difficulties in regard to oil supplies. Nearly every country in the world other than producing countries has this difficulty at present.

3.