Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The body is an approved body. It is appointed in the same way as many other producer bodies with which we are familiar, such as Repak, etc. The producers get together to make a proposal for a scheme, the Minister reviews it and agrees terms and conditions with the producers for their organisation and corporate structure. The Minister agrees a method of reviewing their performance. In fact, we are currently carrying out a mid-term review of the approval. That is analogous to how the body is performing. A meeting like this can inform the types of questions we will ask the body and can result in amendment to the terms of its approval.

The Senator specifically asked about the date on which they were formed. They were formed in 2021. The duration of their approval is for a five-year period, which is from 2021 to 2026. It is now 2024, and a mid-term review of their approval is under way.