Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for not having been here from the outset, although I do not think I will get many critics on the other side of the table regarding where I was. I was raising a Commencement matter in the Seanad looking for a temporary extension to the hedge-cutting season due to the current saturation of land, so I do not think they will scold me for attending to that as opposed to being here.

I tuned in to the meeting online before I had to go into the Chamber and heard the start of the meeting. I am a stickler for other people not coming into meetings late, asking questions that have been asked and going over old ground, so I am not going to do that. I will read the Official Report and have an input into the formulation of our report and any amendments we put in.

As the old saying goes, you have to be careful what you wish for. To use a sporting analogy, they brought in a new review system in rugby and now the referees are not making decisions because they have that safety net of deferring to the bunker. Could our guests foresee a similar situation emerging here, whereby departmental officials or inspectors could cause more grief for farmers by being less decisive because they will have the safety net of an independent review? Could they say they are not going to put their neck on the block because, even though they might well be able to award such a certification, there are a few issues and the farmer will have an independent way of appealing it in any event, so they might let it go down that road? Could there be a scenario under the legislation, as drafted, where that could happen? The rugby analogy is probably as good an example as we will get, given every commentator is saying referees will not make decisions anymore. Even if they know which way it should go, they are just passing the buck because there is the safety net of someone else coming after them who will make the decision for them.