Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Bill, as drafted, is what is presented, but obviously it is at pre-legislative scrutiny stage and the final Bill is something we can reflect on further. One of the key objectives here is to ensure that as part of the review panel there is representation of people with practical experience of farming. That will certainly be the way I proceed to set the board up. As to how we reflect that in the legislation and in the legal language, that is something I intend to look at a bit further too before we present the final Bill on that particular point. It is key that coming out of this we have people with practical farming knowledge. That is not necessarily important for the independence of it, but for confidence in it. Farmers must feel there are people on the panel who get farming. It is not necessarily something that would have an impact on the decision, because the decision has to be made, but it is an important element and ingredient to have in that final review panel. Certainly where the composition of the panel is concerned, having people with practical farming experience is going to be important and it is something I am looking at further with respect to the legal drafting around that.