asked the Minister for Finance how many monthly imports are covered by the external reserves of Ireland; if he has similar information in respect of each of the other EMS countries; and, if not, why.

The estimated number of months external reserves cover in EMS countries is as follows: Belgium, 1.7; Denmark, 2.3; Federal Republic of Germany, 3.6; France, 6.7; Ireland, 3.0; Italy, 7.4; Netherlands, 2.5; The figure for the United Kingdom which is a member of the EMS but not at present participating in the exchange rate mechanism is 2.9.