asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will make immediate representations to the EC Commissioner on Agriculture and to the Council of Agricultural Ministers to grant a derogation to Ireland on the cereal quota in view of the inclement weather conditions prevailing at the present time; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The Deputy has been misinformed about this. There is no cereal quota system in operation in the EC. We advocated that there should be a quota system for cereals. The Commission would not agree and none of the other States would agree. The question of a derogation for Ireland because of weather conditions does not arise because there is not a quota system.