asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy if an early re-survey of the Leinster coalfields will be arranged in view of the urgent need for additional energy resources.

As the Deputy is aware, a detailed survey of the Leinster coalfield area was carried out by the Geological Survey Office of my Department in the period 1959-1963. The information provided by that survey still provides a good basis for evaluation of current coal reserves in the area. However, arrangements for an up-to-date study of all data available to the Geological Survey Office on the coalfield, involving inspection visits to particular parts of the coalfield, have been recently put in hands. My Department will be glad to make the results of this work available to interested parties.