Mr. Pauric Nolan:

To respond to Deputy Pringle's statement that annual meetings are sometimes a tick-box exercise or simply an effort to find out how the crop is doing, that is partly true. In the first 20 years of the crop, the issues that arise are mainly operational. As there is no cashflow in this period, there is no requirement for any form of financial discussion. The way the meeting is structured is that in the final quarter of each year, a form is sent out to the partner outlining works that have taken place in the previous year and works planned for the following year. The form includes a section in which the partner can add comments. Where comments are made, they are followed up by a telephone call which will clarify points made on the form or arrange a one-to-one meeting. Deputy Pringle is correct in general terms in that one-to-one meetings do not often occur in the first 15 years of the crop because the farmer does not need to be told the same story every year.

The approach is three-pronged, consisting of an initial visit to check the site, the sending of a report to the farmer and an option to hold a meeting either by telephone or on a one-to-one basis. We have checked years 14, 15 and 16 of contracts and our checks show that we have record of 96% in terms of forms issued and returned either with comments or as acceptance of the report as being an up-to-date review of the performance of the crop. The forms do not cover financial matters in the initial period.