asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on a recent newspaper article which stated that the United States defence experts have completed an official study of naval facilities in Ireland without the Irish Government being consulted on the matter.

I presume that the Deputy's question refers to a report which apeared in The Sunday Tribune newspaper of 6 January 1985. That report was largely inaccurate.

I understand that a private civilian "think tank", the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, provided unsolicited views to the US Department of Defence on the importance of European neutral countries to NATO. It is a matter of public record that in March 1984 testimony was given to a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations of the US House of Representatives on completed, on-going, and proposed US Department of Defence policy studies. One of several examples cited as a proposal for the US fiscal year 1985 concerned the relationship of US and NATO defence policy to the neutral countries of western Europe, including Ireland. I understand, however, that the study was not approved and was not proceeded with. I have also been informed that no study of this scope and nature is contemplated.

Will the Minister confirm that it is very likely that a team of US defence experts have completed officials studies of naval facilities in the USSR without consulting the USSR Government?

Is the Deputy asking if I think it likely that they would do that?

Ná bac.

Major powers behave in strange ways. In fact a report was submitted to the Soviet Government about three months ago on Irish neutrality. It made interesting reading and there were some interesting quotations in it.

I am quite certain that countries around the world carry out studies on each other's naval facilities without bothering to consult the government in question.

I am not sure if they did that in this case. They have denied it.

I wanted to put Deputy Allen's mind at rest.

I should like to thank Deputy Haughey. I will sleep tonight.