asked the Minister for Finance if the Irish Soft Drinks Association have requested a meeting with him; and, if so, when that meeting will take place.

The Soft Drink & Beer Bottlers' Association Limited have requested a meeting, and one will be arranged at the earliest opportunity.

I had arranged to meet the Soft Drink & Beer Bottlers' Association Limited on Monday December 8 but it had to be cancelled due to my participation in the talks between the British and Irish Governments. An alternative date will be arranged as soon as possible.

How many requests did this association make for a meeting?

I do not have details but I can tell the Deputy that a number of groups, a considerable number, going into hundreds, made requests.

I will give the Minister the information.

Please do not.

Would the Minister agree that this association made six requests for a meeting and that it was only when we put down the question that a request was replied to and then the meeting was cancelled. The reason why this association requested a meeting is that 300 jobs in the industry have been endangered by the penal taxes on soft drinks in the last budget.

I had communicated to them well in advance of the arrangements for a meeting between the Irish and British Governments that I was prepared to meet them on that date. The meeting was not arranged as a response to the Deputy's question.

Will the Minister agree that they made six different requests, the reason being that 300 jobs in the industry had become endangered because of the penal taxation imposed in the 1980 budget?

As I have said, several small groups, hundreds of them, asked to have deputations received. It would not have been physically possible for the Minister to meet all such groups—it would be an exception to the rule.

So that is the excuse. Is the Minister describing as small and irrelevant an industry in which 300 jobs are in danger?

I do not think anything I have said could be interpreted as dismissing them as being irrelevant.

The Minister spoke of hundreds of small, insignificant people.

I said it would be physically impossible to meet them all.

The first application was at the end of February last.