Mr. Roger Harrington:

I will first respond to Deputy Mick Barry. We have had a discussion on microbeads, microplastics and microfibers and what we will include in the legislation. I agree with one of my colleagues from GMIT who said there will be a need for ongoing legislation in this particular area. Our thinking currently is that we should proceed with the microbeads element in the first piece of legislation. Much work will have to be done on microplastics and microfibers, specifically on what we will prohibit. We must be very careful about those definitions. If we can expand the legislation we will try to do so but we are currently going to hold on in the area of microbeads.

I do not have any specific information on the Deputy's query relating to the US, but I will get some information and return to him with it.

I appreciate Deputy Sherlock's bona fides on this. We have a number of issues with the Bill to which he referred, which we outlined at the time. I am not sure if it is a simple matter of changing the definitions. There is much more detailed and robust work which needs to be done in developing this legislation. If the Chairman and the committee wanted to invite us here again when we are more advanced in the development of our own legislation to discuss this issue again, we would be happy to oblige.