Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. McArdle and Mr. Nolan for their statement and for taking the time to inform the committee of where matters stand from their perspective. It is somewhat disappointing that their submission highlighted that many of the problems seem to be within the Irish system. I had kind of understood that the difficulties were at the UK end and that the UK authorities were not as well prepared as they ought to have been. However, based on what Mr. McArdle and Mr. Nolan have told the committee, there seem to be many problems at our end too, such as IT systems not working properly, which is very disappointing at this stage, and cumbersome paperwork having to be filled in. It is very disappointing that a more streamlined process is not in operation. I am sure that is costing Mr. McArdle, Mr. Nolan and the members of their organisation a significant amount of money.

I understand that the IRHA met Revenue three or four weeks ago and that it was a fairly intensive engagement. It made certain proposals to Revenue in respect of how it felt the process could be streamlined across many headings from a practical perspective. Has the IRHA had much feedback from Revenue, having asked it to examine the proposals made and see how it could adapt its systems to make the process more fluid? What level of engagement has there been with Revenue to date? Have there been any positive outcomes from the initial meeting four or five weeks ago?