asked the Minister for Energy if his Department has investigated the possible uses of gasohol in Ireland.

An Alternative Transport Fuels Liaison Group, established under the aegis of the National Board for Science and Technology is currently investigating many alternative transport fuels, among which is gasohol. When the group has finished its work the performance of gasohol will be ranked against other available alternative transport fuels.

The Irish gasohol programme is directed towards the investigation of the economics and technology of producing alcohol, and also the amount of energy required to produce it. Alcohol sources such as sugar beet, potatoes and grass juice are being examined.

I expect the report of the group to be available before the end of the year.