140 Mr. Bree asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when he intends to reply to correspondence from Deputy Bree dated 22 January 1996 (details supplied); if he has satisfied himself with the level of response to correspondence from Deputies and members of the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17143/96]

The correspondence from the Deputy referred to a complaint made by a herd owner in Sligo about her dealings with officials in the Sligo office. The same complaint had already been referred to my office in Dublin on 16 January 1996. A response issued to the herd owner on 1 February 1996 and a copy of this reply was referred to the Deputy on the same date. It was assumed that this dealt with the Deputy's concerns and that a further reply was not required. A further copy of the reply is being sent to the Deputy from my office today. Any misinterpretation is regretted.