Mr. Neil Walker:

I can see an enhanced role for the expert advisory group. Whether this would extend to supervision is not clear. It is quite feasible there should be some form of supervisory body, not necessarily the Taoiseach or an Oireachtas joint committee because it could be diluted across several such committees. One could envisage something along the lines proposed in the final report from the National Economic and Social Council, NESC. We do not state this would be the best way to do it, but it would be no harm to consider whether there would be a role for such a supervisory body. We would see it as complementary to the role of the expert advisory group. The expert advisers would advise on how to design policies and implement them in a way whereby technologies are adopted early and cost effectively, but somebody must examine whether it all adds up and if not what more needs to be done. This is not necessarily a role for the heads of the EPA and SEI. It might be, but they all have day jobs also.