Professor John Sweeney:

I concur. We need the advice and expertise of a wide range of bodies, and public servants in particular, but it should be an independent body if it is to carry the clout and the kudos that it would get from advising the Minister in an objective independent manner. It should be composed, as such, of independent people with the legal, scientific and economic expertise we have already spoken about, taking advice from a wide range of bodies such as Teagasc, the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, Met Éireann and the OPW. Many of these bodies have very valuable advice to give on this topic and I would encourage them to be in contact and communication with the CCAC on a very regular basis but not necessarily influencing its outcomes.