Will the Taoiseach be prepared to review this distribution of functions after, say, the passage of some months if it is not working out and if, as I suspect, it causes great difficulties for the shipping industry because of the dispersal between the Departments of policy in that respect?

Certainly I will be prepared to review it but the Deputy knows full well there is always some overlapping in functions between different Departments and the line must be drawn somewhere. Perhaps it would have been more complete to transfer sea ferries entirely to the Department of the Marine along with other shipping, but as against that the sea ferries have a very important contribution to make to the tourist industry. Therefore, on balance it was decided to leave ferries with the Department of Tourism and Transport, but it can be looked at again.

Will the Taoiseach not agree that shipping in general is an intrinsic part of transport? Perhaps he will be honest enough to admit that this Department of the Marine incorporating shipping was a rash promise made in the euphoria of the advent of the general election. In view of his U-turn on health, the SEA and the Anglo-Irish Agreement, will he not agree this will be a U-turn——

This seems to be an extension of the question on the Order Paper.

Like myself, a Cheann Comhairle, you deplore the tendentious nature of the Deputy's supplementary questions.

I want to get on to another question.

It is a good way of getting rid of my question.

I want to assure Deputy Mitchell that, on the contrary, I have for a long period of years been interested in establishing a Department of the Marine and I have the support of many Deputies in this House for that concept. It has always seemed to me absurd that an island nation like ours would not have a Department solely responsible for the development of our maritime resources.

Surely it is a——

We are having a long number of questions.

Arising from the Taoiseach's reply, the whole point of this question is to highlight the fact that there is not one Department but two or three Departments looking after shipping matters.

This could go on all day.

At least they are being looked after.