asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the action his Department have taken at national level and also in respect of each diplomatic mission abroad, to promote State agencies and private consultancies on overseas consultancy opportunities; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

In accordance with the emphasis placed by the Programme for National Recovery, on the promotion of overseas consultancy opportunities the Department of Foreigh Affairs are giving a high priority to their work in this area.

They do so through their general foreign earnings promotion work at headquarters and in missions abroad, including missions to international organisations, through the bilateral aid programme and through their access to information on multilaterally funded projects. In this context, they monitor opportunites open to Irish firms for consultancy work, bring these to the attention of interested bodies and, where necessary, advise on the preparation of submissions or lobbies on behalf of Irish applicants. Missions abroad work closely with State bodies active in the consultancies area in relation to information, contacts and follow-up.

It would not be practicable to set out in detail the involvement of each mission abroad in the promotion of overseas consultancies. Certain missions, for example the embassy at Washington and the Permanent Representation at Brussels which are in a position to deal directly with the major international lending agencies play a key role in relation to information, contacts and follow-up.

Those missions which are accredited to developing countries (for example, Cairo, Baghdad and Tehran) also play an important role both with regard to the processing of contracts and also in the provision of practical assistance on the spot. In the case of missions in developed free market countries, the fact that the structures in the private sector are already well developed tends to reduce the extent of embassy involvement.

I wish to draw particular attention to the bilateral aid programme which has employed a wide range of Irish consultants to carry out projects in developing countries. Major international agencies have been impressed by the effective and relevant work done by such consultants under the bilateral aid programme and this has been helpful to the Irish entities in seeking further overseas consultancy opportunities.

The promotion of overseas consultancies is also included on all appropriate occasions in the course of high level inter-Governmental exchanges. Such exchanges may take place in the framework of joint commissions with other countries or in the course of bilateral visits. It is our intention to continue to avail of such opportunities to the full.

My Department participate in the work of the Overseas Consultancy Group established under the Programme for National Recovery and chaired by the Minister for Trade and Marketing.

I thank the Minister for his detailed reply. How do his Department inform Irish industry, companies and State agencies of the facilities available? Is it done directly through the Minister's Department or through any other State agency?

There is a direct contact with the interested parties or the State agencies concerned — or with both — regarding the contact a Department have relevant to an application in a country where we are represented. It is really an ongoing, two-way process of information and contact at home and in the embassy of the country where the opportunities may be.

I was interested to note that the Minister referred to the importance of the bilateral aid programme in developing consultancy opportunities for our firms. Deputy Bell asked what action the Minister's Department had taken to assist these developments. Can the Minister defend the cut of £26 million over the past two years in that area? If he did not adequately respond on humanitarian grounds, perhaps on narrow commercial grounds he might be willing to admit the folly of these cutbacks?

The natural cutbacks in which the Government were forced to engage by the incompetent state in which public finances were left in the 1986 budget have now been rectified to some extent and there is an increase of about £1 million under the heading mentioned by the Deputy.

That disposes of questions for today.