asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry (1) the total value of timber imported into Ireland in 1980; and the percentage this represents of our total timber usage; (2) the total value of home timber used in Ireland and the purpose for which it was used; and (3) the total value of chipboard and hardboard imported into Ireland.

The information requested by the Deputy is not compiled in my Department. Neither, I understand, are statistics available from the Central Statistics Office in the precise detail sought. However, largely on the basis of information obtained from that office, I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to circulate with the Official Report some data in tabular form which I trust the Deputy will find useful.

Following is the data:

TABLE 1

Imports of timber in the year 1980*

* Provisional.

Note: Figures do not include trade in (a) Cork, fuel wood, wood pulp and wood waste or (b) hardboard and chipboard. For (b), see Table 2.

TABLE 2

Imports of hardboard and chipboard in the year 1980*

* Provisional.

Note: For purposes of this Table chipboard is regarded as corresponding to reconstituted wood as described above.

TABLE 3

Sales of timber by Forest and Wildlife Service in 1980*

* Provisional.