Professor John FitzGerald:

The way it works with the ex officiomembers is that they do not pursue a line. They are members of the council. They do not say, "The Teagasc line on this is X." They contribute to overall decision-making. I certainly do not think the way it has worked in the past five years has in any way infringed our independence. The expertise they have brought has been valuable. I know the director of the ESRI never wanted to be on the council. I was in the ESRI at the time, so the committee can ask the ESRI but I suspect it does not want to be there ex officio. All I can say is that until now our independence has not in any way been affected by the ex officionature of their being there.

As for the scientific advice, our job as a council is to advise on policy. We have relied on the EPA and other public bodies. We take the climate science as given. The Oireachtas will define what the targets are for 2050 and 2030. Where the science becomes important is in how, in particular in agriculture, our understanding of the science has been important in influencing our recommendation on a dual target for 2050. We have had access to the scientific advice, but having a range of expertise on the council makes sense, as does gender balance on the council, which one would take for granted.