Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The opening statements referred to governance. The narrative for the referendum was around taking back control. The narrative for the general election is about getting Brexit done, which is a simplistic approach to winning an election. The opening statement referred to governance and the cascade, as I would term it, of committees that are going to look at all aspects of Brexit. This cannot possibly deliver a result within six months. The UK Parliament has a withdrawal agreement committee. Below that, there are several other sectoral committees looking at each aspect of it. That is a robust system of governance and it could not possibly be rolled into a short period.

I am interested in Professor Hervey's view, based on her experience of the medical profession in the United Kingdom. Surely the authorities there are not looking for divergence in standards and recognition of qualifications. Is that accurate? There is no advantage for those involved to diverge from established criteria relating to levels of experience and qualifications. Is there a movement within the professions, especially the medical profession in the United Kingdom, to refrain from divergence and to continue to have convergence?