asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry when the White Paper on the fishing industry, which was promised in the Building on Reality, 1985-1987 document, will be published, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

55.

asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry when the Government's White Paper on the fishing industry will be published; and the reason for the delay in preparing it.

I propose to take Question No. 38 and Priority Question No. 55 together.

Work on the preparation of the White Paper is well advanced in my Department and my aim is to have it published before the end of this year.

The Minister will be aware that discussions have been going on for some time in relation to the White Paper and that the White Paper has been promised by the Minister for over 12 months? The Minister will also be aware that there has been another report, a report on the fishing industry which has indicated the way forward for development in the fishing industry. Can the Minister give us a broad outline of what the White Paper will contain and what he would see as priority areas to which the White Paper will direct attention.

The Deputy is well aware that I cannot give in any detail the content of the White Paper. I can tell him that the White Paper is being expedited and at the moment it has been circulated to other Departments for their observations after which it will come back to the Government for scrutiny and the Government will make a decision.

The Minister will be fully aware of the background and the volume of information which has been made available already of the state of preparation of the White Paper. Can we get some indication from the Minister of the main headings that the White Paper will direct attention to, whether, for instance, inland fisheries will be covered and whether there will be any reference to developments within the Community? The Minister will be aware that one matter which is causing widespread concern at present is the question of quotas and the inadequate quota arrangements we have. He will be aware of widespread dissatisfaction with the quota of herring, mackerel and hake. Can he give us some indication as to what the White Paper will say in this regard?

The Deputy is trying to bait me now — excuse the pun. The White Paper contains proposals on inland fisheries, something which the Euro policy document did not contain to any great extent. He also can expect from me that in regard to the other agencies who did a great deal of work on the current state of the fishing industry in the past few years, the contents of their documents have been taken into consideration in formulating the White Paper on Fisheries and the White Paper at the moment is being circulated in Departments.

We cannot discuss a White Paper at Question Time.

Can we get some indication from the Minister about the quota situation which is causing widespread anxiety——

The question clearly asks when the White Paper will be published.

The Minister will have to take into account the present state of the industry——

That is another question.

The Minister will be aware that the industry is anxious at present because of the lack of adequate quotas——

Just because it is a question about fisheries we cannot mount an argument on the entire fishery scene.

We have to take adequate time to deal with it.

We are not making the best use of it.

We did not get an opportunity to take some of the important questions on the Order Paper today. The Minister has time, so can be tell us what is involved and whether the White Paper will address itself to this situation?

I am ruling that question out of order. I have been asked to improve Question Time and if I allow questions like this the whole thing will get worse instead of better. Deputy Pat Cope Gallagher.

Does the Ceann Comhairle appreciate——

Sorry, Deputy, please bear with me. I was wrong in calling on Deputy Gallagher.

We are on Question No. 54 and Question No. 38 which is not a priority question.

When a priority question and a non-priority question are taken together in priority time only the Deputy with the question down can put a question.

I accept your ruling on the basis that there is no precedent.

It is stated in the Order.

I consider myself the same as Deputy Molloy in this House. Deputy Molloy asked a question on priority and I did not get the opportunity, so I say to you, a Cheann Comhairle, that you are discriminating between Deputy Molloy and me.

I am only human and I nod occasionally.

I am proposing to seek to raise it with the Committee on Procedure and Privileges.

You will be welcome to raise it there.

I might have asked a question, but I got no answer.

In relation to the inland fisheries section in the White Paper can the Minister give the House an indication——

I ruled that question out of order.

Will the Minister recognise that at present there is widespread dissatisfaction with the way in which his Department are dealing with mariculture and aquaculture licences?

I would prefer the Deputy——

That party did not even mention it in their policy document.

Ceist 56.