Mr. John Menarry:

The Deputy has spoken about doors being closed in our faces. We had a meeting just before Christmas and we sat for maybe 30 or 40 minutes listening to departmental officials telling us what they could not do for us. I attended the meeting online and commented that I did not care what they could not do for us, no more than this committee, from which we are looking for help. What the Department or the committee cannot do for us is irrelevant and we do not need to hear about it. We need to hear what can be done.

A question was asked about the quota and the rationale for how it is distributed. We have been told on numerous occasions that for us to get more others would have to take less but there was never a mention of this when we had to take less so others could benefit. It is a null point for us. Those who have the quota at the minute have been very well rewarded, and rightly so, due to the losses of Brexit so I do not see why a small amount of that could not be given back to sector that lost in the first place.