Mr. Colm Hayes:

That is always a possibility but nobody is discussing that option because, naturally, the main institutions want to keep the focus on the current regulations. Whether or not that scenario comes to pass, our emphasis will be on achieving as smooth a transition as possible for the individual scheme participants because we know that in times past that has not always happened. For a transition, there will need to be transitional regulations and guidance from the Commission, which we do not have, and there would need to be a clear indication of what the budget might be. For now, the focus is on the 1 January 2020 deadline, while the focus in the institutions is on getting the regulations finalised.

On Senator Paul Daly's question of what might go into the CAP strategic plan, we have guidance from the Commission. It appears that the CAP strategic plan might have to be 300-odd pages if we were to fill in all the blanks, which is another indicator of the complexity involved. That guidance frames our own SWOT analysis and the intervention needs analysis that the consultants will be asked to do with all the various stakeholders.

On the question of whether putting more money in will allow us to get more out, the Taoiseach has commented directly. If we are investing more money, it needs to go to those initiatives and schemes which have delivered for member states, which is a clear and explicit reference to CAP on our part. That is our guiding principle because we get our added value from the EU fund. As I mentioned, 80% of EU funds that come to Ireland come through CAP and, therefore, I fully agree with the Senator's point.

I might ask Mr. Nolan to comment on climate change.