asked the Minister for Labour if a person (details supplied) has visited Dublin at the request of the Employment Equality Agency; if so, the work, if any, he has done for the agency; and the circumstances in which he came to be invited to Dublin.

The person to whom the question refers is an American academic who visited Dublin in February-March 1979 to advise the Employment Equality Agency on an aspect of the agency's day-to-day work, namely, the range of statistics to be collected for the purpose of monitoring progress towards equal pay and equal opportunity.

The visit resulted from discussions which the chairperson of the agency had with representatives of the German Marshall Fund, an American institution which financed the visit.

Would the Minister not agree that the annual report of the Employment Equality Agency implies that the chairperson of that agency had to go begging to the United States to get somebody to carry out research which should have been properly done by the Government?

I commend the chairperson for availing of any funds available. Is the Deputy saying that the agency were wrong in availing of funds that were available from the German Marshall Fund to carry out research in this very important area?

I am sympathising with the chairperson having to go begging to the United States simply because the Minister will not give her funds. Will the Minister provide the necessary funds to obviate the need for this in future?

I answered that in the previous question.