I am pleased to accept that offer and I will discuss the matter with the Minister. The Minister said it was the Department's intention to make the fish farm self-sufficient in relation to young stock and I should like to know if he has any time scale in mind in regard to this? We are all too well aware of the havoc caused to our most lucrative oyster industry recently when a disease from beyond our shores affected stock and it is because of that that I would like to know the deadline the Minister has in mind. I accept it is most important that we become self-sufficient very soon because of the threat to our stock.

The Deputy will appreciate it is a question of the Department impressing upon the industry the importance of this move. The Minister, Deputy Daly, and myself had a meeting with those involved in fish farming and we impressed upon them the need to become self-sufficient. As far as shellfish imports are concerned, oyster, spat and clams, I should like to tell the Deputy that there are very strict regulations involved. We only permit imports from certain countries and from certain areas in those countries. I do not think it is necessary to name the countries from which we are not prepared to import shellfish because we had a full debate on this matter when dealing with the question of the bonamia. I should like to tell the House that a licence is required for the movement of all bi-valve shellfish, oysters, mussels and clams. That is accepted by the trade. We regret the inconvenience but the quality is of primary importance to us. Samples are being taken from all areas and the fish pathologist has advised me that there is no evidence of bonamia now except where it originated, in Cork harbour. Unfortunately, we have not yet established how it arrived there.