Mr. Errol Close:

I will take the first of the Senator's two questions. My understanding is that the UK will continue to recognise EU certificates. People who have Irish or EU 27 certificates will be able to continue to operate in the UK. The other important point to note is that when recertify they are allowed to retain their UK certificates so they do not have to surrender that. They will have both a UK certificate and a new Irish or EU 27 certificate.

The Senator was talking about cross-Border matters and it is important to note that under the Northern Ireland protocol, the F-Gas regulation will continue to apply in Northern Ireland. People who, for example, are going back and forward in their daily business carrying these gasses will be able to move across the Border and their certificates will be recognised in the North under the Northern Ireland protocol and the F-Gas regulation on an enduring basis.

The broader omnibus Bill provisions are the only part that are relevant to my Department. There are no other environmental or climate related parts from my perspective. This is considered on an ongoing basis with regard to the potential need for secondary legislation and that may arise between now and the end of the year. The other part is to watch the ongoing negotiations and a component of that is the level playing field. That will have a bearing to a certain extent on environmental alignment between the EU and the UK on an ongoing basis.