asked the Taoiseach whether any Ministers of State continue to be members of local authorities; if he has requested them to resign; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The following Ministers of State are members of local authorities: Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Mr. Paddy Hegarty; Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Mr. Paul Connaughton; Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Mr. Joe Bermingham; Minister of State at the Department of Industry and Energy, Mr. Edward Collins; Minister of State at the Department of Transport and at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, Mr. John Donnellan; Minister of State at the Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism, Mr. Michael Moynihan; Minister of State at the Department of Labour, Mr. George Birmingham; Minister of State at the Department of Health and at the Department of Social Welfare, Mr. Fergus O'Brien; Minister of State at the Department of Education, Mr. Donal Creed; Minister of State at the Department of Fisheries and Forestry and at the Department of the Gaeltacht, Mr. Michael D'Arcy.

On the appointment of the Ministers of State, they were advised of the practice normally followed by Governments in recent years. The precedents set by the two most recent Fianna Fáil Governments show that from December 1979 to June 1981, a period in excess of 18 months, six Ministers of State did not resign at all during the lifetime of that Government and in the period March 1982 to December 1982, four Ministers of State and a Cabinet Minister did not resign from membership of local authorities.

Supplementaries, please.

Never show the white feather. Regarding the 18 months the Taoiseach has just referred to, could he name any member of the Cabinet who did not resign his seat?

I said quite clearly that in the period March-December 1982 a Minister did not resign from membership of a local authority. He was — I always say "of course"— Deputy Doherty.