17 Mr. Foley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the plans, if any, he has to visit Irish beef markets in the Middle East. [13799/96]

48 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the action, if any, he has taken to reopen third country markets which have been closed to Irish cattle and beef; his views on whether conditions are suitable for visiting these countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13770/96]

49 Mr. O'Leary asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the steps, if any, he has taken to date to secure new markets, outside of the EU countries, for live cattle and processed beef. [13668/96]

56 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the date of the last ministerial or ambassadorial visit to Libya to promote sales of Irish beef held under the aegis of his Department or in association with his Department. [13810/96]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 48, 49 and 56 together.

The position in relation to third country markets for Irish beef is kept under constant review and all appropriate action is being taken to ensure that our cattle and beef products have free access to all markets worldwide.

Many of the concerns raised by the recent BSE crisis are technical. The Diplomatic Service, An Bord Bia and the Department continue to address these concerns and provide the necessary reassurances regarding the safety and quality of Irish beef to all existing and potential customers. In that context a very considerable amount of technical data on our control systems has been provided and a considerable number of markets remain open to Irish products.