Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We have thrashed out this issue to try to get our heads around it. I thank Mr. Lynch and Mr. Lynskey. We will not decide today what we should do, as we need to digest a certain amount. Certainly, we need to hear what others have to say and try to balance the two.

I should have made the point at the start that I have been a Kingswood package owner for 15 years. As my son registered with BTAP, we had to complete the registration with the ICBF. I am aware of the consequences. From the farm software companies' point of view, they all initially started off by offering accounts packages. As online registration and data collection became the norm for the State agencies, they facilitated the process. At the outset, that was the avenue that was follwed and it proved successful. I am not quite sure why the waters changed in between, but no doubt we can ask these questions. If there are updates from the European Competition Commission, I ask someone to let us know. We will probably come back to this issue in a couple of weeks. Our next meeting is in two weeks because there is a ploughing match next week. We already have a series of meetings planned until 23 October. I suspect, however, that we will deal with the issue in private session to invite other agencies, but I cannot say for definite until the committee considers the matter.

I thank Mr. Lynch and Mr. Lynskey for their time and forbearance at the beginning when we had to deal with some private business.