Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Veterinary Council of Ireland was asleep at the wheel. We gave it an opportunity, when we contacted it, to suggest changes that may be required to the Act to clarify this matter. We expected it to go beyond a "Yay" or "Nay". Some the points that have been made by Mr. Ó Scanaill are accurate but not all of them. I still believe the section provides for a prohibition but I will leave that issue for a minute.

If the council allows anybody to own a veterinary practice, by implication it undermines its ability to regulate the operation of a veterinary practice in Ireland. Anybody can own a veterinary practice and an owner is in a very powerful position. Apart from getting into the niceties of the ownership and operation of a practice, this will turn into a supermarket job or a job for some other large body and rural Ireland will be left on the hind teat and wiped out. That is the direction in which we are moving. The council needs to speak to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The witnesses have a direct line to him. What representations have they made or have they just gone through the motions at the Veterinary Council meeting and adopted the position that an awful problem is not part of its purview at all? If it is not, the council should get back to the Minister. That is what we are here for. There are Opposition spokespersons waiting for the opportunity to bring legislation forward or to make amendments to Acts. The Government would take it on board to solve the problem. It is the Government of Ireland and it knows bloody well that this has implications. I am surprised at the Veterinary Council. Mr. Ó Scanaill has long experience but there was indecent haste in what happened. When one has indecent haste, there must be an underlying motive. What we want to get to is the motive for the change in December without awaiting the outcome of a review which is properly being carried out. I have no doubt that it is properly being carried out. Ms Muldoon will have a feather in her cap when this is carried out. However, it is very hard to unscramble the egg. That is the problem.