Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Excuse me for interrupting, but Mr. McHugh just indicated that, from 2008 to 2018, the number of vets increased and the service improved.

During that time, the interpretation of the legislation applied by the Veterinary Council of Ireland essentially enacted the legislation before us. We are looking at international evidence, particularly from our closest neighbours in Britain, where the free-for-all model Mr. McHugh advocates has been to the detriment of the consumer. How can the CCPC say, as a consumer protection authority, that a scenario that was working well for the consumer should be changed to a scenario that we know has been detrimental to the consumer in other jurisdictions?