Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Established practice in my mind and that of the Irish Government and people at that time was that it was paid for out of general taxation. The Commission decided to change its interpretation of it on submission of the river basin management plan, which is its right to do so if it so wishes. We do not agree. If there is to be an adjudication on it, it is beyond our control. That is all I will say on it.

What is the Commission's interpretation of the legality of the suspension period considering that, in our opinion, it too relates back to the initial derogation and the objectives in it and our establishment of an established practice based on it being paid for out of taxation in 2000? The Commission would question the legality of this period if it were to follow on from what Mr. Ciobanu-Dordea just said.