Mr. Jim Breslin:

I will come back to the devices in a moment. With devices it is not primarily a supply issue, it is a regulatory issue so it is quite distinct. Of course we are listening to what UK sources say but it is clear the UK sources are not working from the same information basis as us. The figure of 60% originated in Ireland. It is the figure we looked at two years ago when we started Brexit planning. It is not just what is coming over the land bridge as it also includes what originates in the UK. It is product with UK touch points. They are the products we sought to protect when we set about making our preparations two years ago . As Deputy Donnelly has heard, we have done a significant amount of work and number of exercises to guard and protect those products. This is a figure we originated. It is not a figure the British have come up with. It is the universe of products on which we have been working with the industry for two years to protect them in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The engagement with industry on this has been at two levels. It has been with suppliers, whereby we have sought, as regulator and the HSE as customer, reassurances that companies have undertaken the Brexit preparations they need. I have spoken about some of the options they face in this situation, including drugs coming directly to Ireland. All them have reassured the regulator and the HSE on their Brexit preparedness. We heard this when we brought everybody together in a full discussion on this. People are confident about the preparations.

At the start of this year we went at this from another direction. Rather than going from top down with companies we put in place a criticality assessment exercise, whereby we looked at particular therapies-----