Mr. Philip Carroll:

What we have attempted, at least, to make clear is that we do have a problem with the fact that we have had 1,100 positive cases of Covid-19 in plants.

That is not a badge of honour or something with which we could in any way be satisfied. We have made it clear that any case is one too many. We make no bones about the fact that we have sought perfection where none can exist. That is the case not only in meat plants, but in wider society and every other situation in which there have been big clusters. that is a problem. We understand that there are indications of certain factors that may influence spread. The Deputy mentioned low temperatures, cooling systems and so on. We have recently heard that aerosols could accelerate spread in closed environments but others, such as the WHO say that may not be the case. That is why we are engaged in looking at the factors that could contribute to the spread of the virus in plants. We are working towards carrying out research that would compare situations in which there are large clusters in plants and situations in which there are very few cases. This will try to identify the defining issues between one and the other. We are not saying that this has never happened to us; we are saying that it has happened and that we do not want it to happen again. We are willing to look at all of the factors that could have contributed to it. I will ask my colleague to talk about the issue of permits.