asked the Taoiseach if he will name the persons with whom he had discussions on the question of the super levy during his recent visit to Brussels; the extent of the discussions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

During my recent visit to Belgium on 19 September last I had separate discussions with the Belgian Acting Prime Minister, Mr. J. Gol—the Prime Minister, Mr. W. Martens, was ill—the Belgian Foreign Minister, Mr. L. Tindemans and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Agriculture, Mr. P. de Keersmaeker as well as with the Commission President, Mr. Gaston Thorn. The Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to disclose details of what were confidential discussions at a time of intensive and critical negotiations in the European Community. To clarify the point more precisely, I met Mr. Gol and Mr. de Keersmaeker together.

Would the Taoiseach say that during the course of these discussions he made it very clear to those whom he met and to the media afterwards that this country was prepared to use the veto?

I made it very clear in the discussions I had and in a public address at the college at Bruges that proposals involving quotas or super levies interfering with the natural growth of our dairy industry would be unacceptable to this country, and by so doing laid the groundwork for the negotiations now taking place in which our position is much more widely appreciated than previously.

Can the Taoiseach say whether during the course of the discussions he indicated clearly that this Government were prepared to use the veto to protect our national interests?

The Deputy, having been Minister for Foreign Affairs, knows enough about the "veto" to know how inappropriate the question he is posing is. The issue does not arise in that form. The issue that arises is that the proposal for a super levy applied to our dairy products would be unacceptable to this country because of its impact on our economy and because it would undermine the benefits of EEC membership in respect of which we have already paid a considerable price on the industrial side. Our job is to clarify with other member Governments the unacceptability of this proposal, so that in the negotiations it will be understood and accepted that it would not be appropriate to attempt to settle this issue by a majority voting procedure but that discussions would have to proceed until agreement is reached, which is a method by which the Community has proceeded, as the Deputy knows, for many years past.

Ceist 7.

Can the Taoiseach say whether as a result of reports at the time of these discussions he proposes now to go ahead with the proposed Taoiseach's tour of the capitals of member states of the EEC to make sure that our case is properly understood before the Athens meeting takes place in December?

I have made contacts with certain Heads of Government and will make other arrangements as and when they may be appropriate. Perhaps the Deputy will appreciate that the time scale of this negotiation is not totally certain. Certainly it is our hope that the matter will be resolved at Athens because very considerable problems will be created for the Community as a whole and for this country in particular if a solution is not reached there, and we are not totally certain that it will be reached at that time. The question, therefore, of the timing of the contacts with other Heads of Government will have to be considered in the light of that somewhat uncertain situation.

I shall be meeting by invitation the President of the European Council, the Greek Prime Minister, Mr. Papandreaou, in Athens shortly. During the month of November we shall be meeting the British Prime Minister and there will be, of course, the visit of the German Chancellor later in November. Those meetings are arranged, and the question of other meetings is for further consideration as the situation develops.