Ms Sin?ad McSherry:

I suppose the first thing I can say is that the Minister has engaged with those in our industry at each and every opportunity where these exploratory discussions have arisen and has brought the information to them and discussed it in a full and frank way. The Deputy will be aware that any negotiation with Iceland is an EU competence and that the Minister, in terms of representing Ireland's position in any exploratory discussions, has taken an extremely hard line. The Minister is well aware of the industry's views on this and he has engaged with those in the industry very regularly on it.

On the progress of those discussions, the Deputy's direct question was on whether a deal had been done. To the best of my knowledge, a deal has not been done. However, the entry into that deal is a decision for the Minister, not for the officials. We will bring all the information and supporting analysis available to the Minister.

As regards the Minister's position and the position he has taken in respect of the behaviour of some of these countries to unilateral tax, records of Council will demonstrate clearly that the Minister has taken an extremely hard line in terms of the actions of those countries and the impact it may have on the stock and viability for the future.