Regarding the announcement that the Minister is to make within the next four to five weeks about some initiative, can he say if this will involve community or voluntary organisations and if not would the Minister pay serious attention to involving such organisations? He has an admirable precedent from the Simon Community in terms of the success they have had in the collection of bottles for recycling.

I appreciate fully the Deputy's suggestion. The voluntary organisations have an important contribution to make in this field. There are some voluntary organisations engaged already in the collection of waste but unfortunately at times the market situation is such that all the waste available to them cannot be taken up. Therefore, as well as considering the question of the market potential of exporting waste and of using it at home, there is also the question of how we recycle it. In the energy area particularly there are possibilities and the Deputy can be assured that the voluntary organisations will be involved totally in this operation, so far as I am concerned.

We should not waste any more time on this question.

Perhaps the Minister would be a little less coy about the announcement he is to make in three or four weeks time.

It was not very long ago since the Deputy was on this side of the House and he was equally coy then, too.

There was no by-election in the offing at that time.