Mr. Andrew Kinneen:

I thank Senator Lombard. The Senator asked a very focused and fair question on what will be different in the new control plan. To preface the remarks I will offer, we have this channel opened up with the Commission and we will be having broad discussions on what the points of concern might be from its perspective in approving a resubmitted control plan from Ireland. Some of the areas of discussion are interesting. As Dr. Steele mentioned, we are going to look at the sampling plan and how that is geared, the number of boxes to be sampled and weighed, and so on, with a view to any possible reduction in those numbers to make sure Ireland's sampling scheme is in line with other member states. We had some encouraging preliminary discussions with the Commission on that earlier.

We will also have to look at joining up the dots on risk management of different fisheries and the landing and transport of fish into different port areas, and so on. That is a broad approach but there are principles that we are going to have to look at to make sure they can be adopted in terms of our control plan and the management of inspection resources.

Now that we are including the pelagic sector in the revised control plan for the Commission, we also have to consider the issues that arose in terms of the audit and the ongoing dialogue in the initial inquiry with the Commission on points of concern. As I said earlier in this meeting, we are encouraged by feedback we have had from the Irish Fish Producers Association, IFPA, in terms of the written submission it made to the SFPA as part of our consultation with the industry. It clearly indicated it is well disposed to looking at the measures we have in place and whether it needs them refined or improved, again, in a proportional way but in a way that will ensure we have a credible platform when we present the control plan.

We would tend not to look to radical changes to what we had heretofore. What we sent out to the Commission in the past was well considered and is probably not likely to be changed radically. What we submit will reflect best practice on what is available in terms of technological developments and practices in the industry, and other points of view the industry has very kindly offered us in terms of our consultation with it. Much of it will be familiar, some of it will be amended with a view to improvement and there will be a few new elements. We also hope there will be elements that will be less burdensome to the industry in terms of sampling and the way the sampling is carried out.