Arising from the Minister's reference to pressure for supplies, would he not agree that the system of inviting tenders from processors, sawmill owners and so on is primitive, antiquated and totally unsatisfactory?

I am surprised at the Deputy. Whether he knows it or not, he is quoting a certain gentleman in this country who made an attack on the Department a few weeks back.

I do not know anything at all about that.

He is speaking very much on the same lines.

I am speaking from my experience of the tendering business. It is a rot.

The Deputy must know that we are talking here about a State asset and its disposal. Traditional regulations in relation to the disposal by the State of its assets have long been laid down and they cover all Departments. Until such time as that is changed by Government decision, this approach must be complied with. Indeed, we have taken steps to improve, hopefully, the tendering system somewhat in that also, side by side with tendering, we will have a quota system which guarantees supplies.

It is too slow.

This is based on the preceding year's consumption. Before the Deputy came into the Chamber I indicated that at the moment an inter-departmental committee, which I established a few months ago, is about to report. They specifically zoned in on this problem of marketing and on how we can speed up the supply of timber and arrange for processors to take a more long-term approach to the processing end of the business. That report will be available to me shortly and I would hope it would improve matters.

Deputy Wilson has raised the question of tendering. Is the Minister saying that because that system has been there for 60 years or so it cannot be changed? Has the Minister any ideas on any system different from the tendering system which would allow, as Deputy Molony mentioned, private interests to get the type of supply they want?

I have just said for the second time and I will now say for the third time that I am pointing to a system which has been in situ down through the years. I am not averse to changing that system for the better and, to that end, an inter-departmental committee will be reporting to me in a matter of weeks. Obviously I have not seen the report yet, but I hope it will suggest something which will be an improvement on the present system.