Mr. Muiris O'Connor:

Yes.

The close co-operation to date in terms of health protection and vaccination will remain vital. Everyone among the health authorities is facing in the same direction in this regard, but there remain queries in the next phase about the regulatory alignments and commitments to ongoing co-operation. I suspect that co-operation on health protection, notifications of infectious diseases and so on are something that the UK will wish to achieve and on which the EU 27 will insist. They apply well on EU borders as matters stand, so it would be a good thing. We want to sustain the existing deep co-operation and alignment.

We have benefited a great deal from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NICE, guidelines. We have leaned on the UK's regulatory system in a sense. A part of the reason that the guidelines have been so helpful is that the UK's system has given practical expression to the EU directives and regulations. That is the umbrella that we share. We will look into this matter closely. We will adhere to all EU directives and regulations, and it is our sincere hope that the UK will recognise that doing so is in its own interests as well. Deviations from EU regulations by the UK would be problematic.