Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for attending. We are short on time so I will just ask a few questions rather than speak for a few minutes. Dr. Walsh made two interesting points. He said that we need to look at implementing European standards of good practice that support appropriate governance in research and fair allocation of funding here. At present, ahead of this Bill, how do we compare with our European counterparts regarding appropriate governance?

My second question is for Dr. Walsh also. The Minister has met stakeholders and he has indicated an openness to continuing dialogue with them. Can Dr. Walsh elaborate on what commitment the Minister has actually given in relation to facilitating that openness? Is it structured and does it involve meetings or appearing before this committee?