Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)

Like everyone else, I wish the Cathaoirleach the very best and congratulate him on his appointment. At this stage, I am a veteran of three committees. I was on the previous two. I do not know if there is anyone else here who is going into their third term. It would be remiss of me, as a member of the last committee, to not mention the former Chairperson, Jackie Cahill. The Chair has big shoes to fill, as I would say he is well aware. Like me, he is a good friend and colleague of Jackie's. As we know, Jackie did not stand for re-election.

The one thing I would say about his stewardship, chairmanship and leadership of this committee in the previous term is that politics was very much left outside that door. We were all here for the common good of the agriculture sector and I think that came across loud and clear across all parties and none. We got into the issues and Jackie facilitated that very well as former Chair. I am not putting too much pressure on the Chair, but it is important that, as someone who was on the committee, I acknowledge the outgoing Chair. The Cathaoirleach has big shoes to fill but I have no doubt he will be able to fill them with ease.

I do not know if we will be coming around to it again but, before I finish, I have a question as a point of information, and it relates to the last committee. In the last committee, we put a big body of work into putting a report together regarding our retention of the derogation, which we intended to bring to Brussels, and then the election came. We had the report finished and signed off and I would like to know, as a point of information that the Chair can answer under any other business or whatever, whether we can revive that now or if we will have to go back to square one and start it all again. Can we carry it forward from the old committee?