Ms Niamh Muldoon:

I will refer back to my opening statement. All aspects of the practice of veterinary medicine come under the remit of the Veterinary Council. We are the regulator. There is no aspect that we cannot get to. Ownership is not within our legal remit or our focus, but the practice of veterinary medicine is. There is, therefore, no question that a non-registered person would practise veterinary medicine. One must be on our registers and be a qualified vet or veterinary nurse to be able to practise. Equally, to be able to practise in this country one operates from a premises. That premises is licensed by us so we know its size, all the details of the premises and all the individuals linked and working with it. There is, therefore, no question but that all aspects of veterinary practice are within our control and we are the oversight body. There will be no diminution in standards. We are absolutely confident that the council is in a position to regulate effectively, and it is important that this committee has confidence in the council.