I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 37 together.
I expect to bring the White Paper on Foreign Policy to Government within the next fortnight and it is my firm aim that it should be published within a month from now.
Work on the text of the White Paper has been continuing for the last ten months, following the completion of the process of public consultation arranged to allow the views of the wider public to be taken into account. Given that foreign policy covers such a wide range of interdependent issues, preparation of the White Paper has involved intensive consultations both within the Department of Foreign Affairs and between that Department and other Departments. More recently, I have sought the informal opinion of the Taoiseach and the Minister for Social Welfare on the content of the White Paper. A final draft text of the White Paper is now almost ready for submission to Government.
The White Paper has gone through many drafts in this process. Every part of the text dealing with all areas of foreign policy has been continually amended and updated, particularly over the last three months as work has intensified. It would not be possible to list all the changes which have been made to the text during that period, even if it were appropriate to do so.
While the preparation of the White Paper has taken longer than I had originally anticipated, there has not been an undue delay, given the effort of the Government to take full account of public opinion, and the fact that this is such a complex area of activity. My priority, rather than meeting any artificial deadline, has been to ensure the publication of a White Paper which will give the people a genuine insight into our foreign policy and will encourage public debate on our role, responsibilities and interests in the world. I am confident that when the White Paper is published it will succeed in doing just that.