asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy if his recent agreement on the supply of Polish coal will improve the home coal supply situation significantly, and if any long term agreement on an increased supply of coal is possible with the Polish authorities.
Written Answers. - Polish Coal.
411.
As already intimated to the Deputy in reply to a question from him on 1 November, the discussions which I recently had with Polish Ministers related to the general prospects on coal supplies but no agreement was concluded in regard to supplies. Coal imports from Poland have for many years been arranged in negotiations between the Polish State trading agency and the Irish companies who import coal. This would be the normal framework through which any additional supplies for the trade would be processed. It would be premature at this stage to speculate on the possibilities of long-term arrangements for increased supplies from Poland.