asked the Minister for Finance the proposals, if any, to make further grants from public funds available for archaeological excavations during 1979 in addition to the £1,620 already allocated and, if so, when the grants will be paid.

The question of making further grants available from Vote 9 for archaeological excavations during 1979 is under consideration.

Is the Minister aware that it is usual to allocate this money to archaeologists much earlier than 20 June in view of the fact that these excavations are usually carried out during the summer months? The fact that there has been a delay until now is rendering the allocation almost useless. Will the Minister state the reasons for the delay in making the allocations?

I am informed that questions have been raised about the adequacy of the accounting arrangements hitherto in operation in relation to the expenditure of some grants, to whom and for what purposes such grants should be made in future, the adequacy of the conditions attaching to the issue of such grants, the non-observance of the conditions by some of the recipients of such grants. Until these have been resolved, no further grants will be made.

Do I take it from what the Minister has said that it is unlikely, therefore, that there will be any allocations made for excavations during the summer?

I should not like to hazard a guess on that.

Have the matters to which he referred as being under investigation been under investigation for some time, and therefore a conclusion is likely to be reached soon, or have the inquiries into the matter commenced only recently?

I understand the inquiries have been under way for some time, but pressure of other urgent work, including the considerable time spent by the staff of the Office of Public Works on the Wood Quay affair, has delayed consideration of the matter.

Would the Minister not agree it was remiss of the Office of Public Works not to have clarified these matters before now, rather than having them dealt with in such a way that excavations will be impossible during the current summer?

The issues have been raised and they have to be clarified.

Why were they not raised before now?