Mr. Finbarr Heslin:

I would like the committee to have an informal discussion with the other databases. I think they would recognise that their choice of lay implanters has caused problems at times. There are some who they would much prefer had never been registered as lay implanters. The thing about databases and chips is that issues will always come to light. As Senator Boylan has said, when one buys a dog, having seen the chip advertised, one will pick up the dog and bring it to the vet along with the certificate, but when the vet checks it he might discover it is not the right chip or certificate. Things will always come to surface. Most of these animals, regardless of where they are produced, end up in what we refer to as their forever home with people who want to look after them. In certain situations, we forget that chips exist for the most part to ensure that if one's dog gets away but turns up in a pound or a vets' surgery, somebody will ring one and ask one to collect the dog.