Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief as we have been this for three and a half hours. I compliment the five farming organisations. This is our third session examining this issue. Nearly everything has been said and today has been positive. The information we have been given is practical and also gives an indication of where we need to go in making sure this Bill is workable. The terminology used by the Data Protection Commissioner, Ms Helen Dixon, and the role she might play, is something that is new to the debate, without a shadow of a doubt. That is something this committee will probably go back and look at on some level. There are data here. The Data Protection Commissioner has exceptional powers, is well able and does exceptional work. We should ask her view on the Bill. The level of information required in the Bill and where the information goes is something that is new to the table. That is an issue we will take on board, given what we have seen here.

We should also engage with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to make sure there is competition in the marketplace. We have previously seen issues with veterinary practices that were going to be moved on, particularly in the UK, but the competition commission stepped in in the past few months to make sure there is competition in the market. Competition is an important part of what this is about. We need to make sure we have competition not alone at the primary level but also at wholesale level, so farmers can have the opportunity to purchase appropriate products.

The timelines are also a huge issue, not just for the farming community but also for the advising community that is involved here. There is a significant body of work in making sure all the farming community are tied into this scheme in an appropriate timeline. I am genuinely concerned about whether that will be appropriate. All the questions have probably been well answered so I will pass on to other members. After three and a half hours, we have some good information but we probably need to go back and look at how we are going to move it forward. The data question in particular is one that has to be answered. It is up to this committee how we will move that forward.