Ms Geraldine O'Sullivan:

We do not have all the answers so we need the skillsets of those who have more experience with the issue. That requires engaging first with what is happening in Scotland. We need greater transparency around what is actually being done. We need the situation to be very simplified. We must get clarity around the detail of the surveillance and its frequency. We also need to know what options are available to increase that. We need to hear directly from the Forestry Commission in Scotland about what it is doing. It had good information on its website but we need to speak with representatives of the commission and understand the details of the inspection regime.

We also need to find out what is happening with the forest industry, the transport and the mills at a Scottish level, particularly around the harvest. We need to understand what biosecurity measures are happening within the forests on the ground and at the ports. We also need to know about the general surveillance. We need the same in respect of the ports in Ireland. We need to learn what options are available. As a member of the European Union, we are curtailed. We need to understand what biosecurity measures could be introduced. We must consider the example of the Czech Republic, which lost enormous volumes of timber, perhaps billions of euro worth. It changed its legislation as a protective measure. We must consider all our options.

A temporary suspension will make a change. We need a whole-of-industry approach. We need to be able to manage and curtail the beetle in a short space of time. We need to speak with our sawmills to see how the situation can be managed and take a whole-of-industry approach. We have written to each of the larger sawmills. They have said they do not support the temporary suspension but support the establishment of the task force and have written to the Minister to express that support. They recognise our concerns and are happy to support the establishment of the task force.