asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress made to date in ensuring that the surplus foods in member states of the European Community can be more speedily transferred to Third World countries where famine occurs.

The following are the measures which the European Community has undertaken to ensure that food aid, which is drawn mainly from Community surplus stocks, can be transferred as speedily as possible to Third World countries where famine occurs.

Under the December 1984 "Dublin Plan", the Community's flexible main response during 1985 to the African emergency, 1.2 million tonnes of cereals and other products valued at 414 mECU, IR£276 million, were supplied to the African countries most seriously affected by drought and famine in the period leading up to the 1985 harvest. As a follow up to this, the Community's 1986 provision for food aid includes the establishment of a special emergency reserve of 386,700 tonnes of cereals, designed to meet exceptional food shortages wherever they may occur. A total of 698 mECU, IR£464 million, is provided in the Community's 1986 budget for food aid to developing countries in all regions of the world, compared to 635 mECU, IR£422 million, in the 1985 budget.

As part of its efforts to respond more speedily to the 1985 African emergency, the Community simplified and made more flexible its decision making procedures for supplying food aid. These flexible procedures will be continued during 1986, as will the provision of funding for transportation of food to and within the countries in need. The experience gained from the African emergency will obviously be of great assistance in coping with any future emergencies wherever and whenever they may arise.

Other important initiatives undertaken by the Community and designed to eliminate the underlying causes of famine and drought are the 1986 Revival and Rehabilitation Plan for the African countries most seriously affected by drought, which will enable them to cope with any future droughts more effectively and restore their agricultural base, and the plan of action to combat desertification in Africa which has recently been produced by the Commission.

In addition, long term development assistance to achieve food self-sufficiency in developing countries continues to be provided under the Lomé Convention the Community's main instrument of development co-operation with the Third World.

That concludes Question Time. Questions put down for oral answer but not reached will go for written reply.

I should wish to raise on the Adjournment the drop in the value of intervention grain in the food scheme.

The Deputy is late.

I understood I was in order up to 4 p.m.

No. It is 3.30 p.m. on Thursday.

I should like advice from the Chair on a particular matter. I sought to raise the question of the Sellafield incident by means of a Private Notice Question and on the Adjournment but I was refused on both counts. How can a Member raise this important issue in the Dáil, a matter that is causing serious public disquiet?

Without wishing to be short with the Deputy, I must point out to him that he cannot raise the matter and I cannot do better than refer him to Standing Orders.

This is a very serious incident. I thought it was urgent enough to have it raised in the House.

I must move on to the next business.