Vol. 502 No. 6
9 Mr. McDowell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the role, if any, his Department is taking in regard to seeking support among other EU countries for the Irish campaign for the retention of duty free facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8938/99]
I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 47, reference number 4376/99, of 17 February 1999. As I pointed out in my earlier reply, the issue of the duty free is a taxation matter which falls, in the first instance, within the remit of the ECOFIN Council and, therefore, of my colleague the Minister for Finance. Also, as I pointed out previously, the Department of Foreign Affairs, through its embassies in the capitals of other member states, and the Permanent Representation to the European Union, has availed of appropriate opportunities to advance the case for a reexamination of the decision to abolish duty free. Several of our embassies have also been involved in assisting and facilitating industry representatives in establishing contacts in other member states.
