Is the Minister aware that considerable research was carried out in the North on this subject? Has there been any exchange of information on this matter? The information he has given the House about the disappointing results to date does not tally with the information available in the North on this project?

The Deputy may take it that information in regard to other biomass projects elsewhere in Europe will be monitored in my Department. I have answered the questions asked and I have expressed a certain amount of disappointment. Perhaps we are starting on the wrong premise. Perhaps we should be experimenting by growing biomass on very good land to see what the results would be. As I have emphasised in my reply, we are in the experimental stage only and until the two projects are fully assessed we will not be able to approach the matter from a commercial point of view.

The Minister has not answered my question. I asked him was there an exchange of information between North and South.

I explained to the Deputy that my Department would have the information available from other member states and from Northern Ireland.