Mr. John Bryan:

Different countries have different requests. The Austrians' request has been an official one for nearly nine months. They have already said they are using a coefficient of 25% for the hills. The Spanish are seeking a coefficient. The Scottish are opting for a regional model, varying from a payment of £11 per acre on the hills to £100 in the disadvantaged areas, with a maximum of £200. When the Deputy said he believed all hectares were equal across European Union, he should have noted that the European Commission, in the document it submitted to Ireland in July 2011, proposed eight regions attracting totally different payments. This is not the fourth secret of Fatima but what has been on the European Union website for a very long period.

The Commission document contained many points that surprised us. The Germans, however, sought no capping but different options. The French made requests and the British sought the option of transferring money within pillars and that of transferring greening measures, as referred to in the document, from pillar 1 to pillar 2. This is the last thing we would want. This fits in with what was spoken about a minute ago.

The document is quite long. The Austrians were the first to suggest a coefficient. That was about nine months ago.