Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have no questions because this issue is self-explanatory, but I took a great interest in Joe Duffy's recent coverage of the Service Dogs Europe issue. It was one of the best and most important examples of public service broadcasting in recent times. I do not if it has done much damage to the sector in which our guests are involved, but it has clearly done much damage to those who have been affected by it. In the light of what the Vice Chairman said, it might not be appropriate for Mr. Geary to comment as the matter may be before the courts, as I presume it is. The value of our guests coming before the committee is that it highlights the issue for the Oireachtas.

I was not overly aware of the access issues involved. If there is more information available, I would be very interested to hear about any instance privately, even if Mr. Geary is not prepared to give the information in public. I certainly was not aware that this was an issue, as I have not received complaints about it. I am, therefore, shocked to hear about it and I am not sure what we can do about it. Clearly, the sector needs a huge amount of funding. We have neighbours who are apparently on a waiting list for an assistance dog for a child with autism. People have been let down by the company in Dundalk and I do not know where we go from here. Are there many private operators involved in this sector or are all of the operators charities? When I first heard about the issue in Dundalk, I was not aware that it was a business. I had always assumed that it was a charitable endeavour.