Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their opening statement, which was very helpful. It has been an amazing four months for the industry between Brexit, penalty points and now the proposed change on the 16 April. It is very hard to equate what they have gone through with any other industry in Ireland.

I touched on the food safety issue in the context of the change in practice on piers. This is a massive issue. I do not think it has been thought through. I would welcome a comment in that regard. I described the scenario as like going back to the 1950s and milking cows in a stall. It has that kind of feel to it. Is there logic to it? If we had decided to do this on the ground, I am sure they would have stopped us. As a result of the fact that we did not decide to do it, however, it is okay. This is a major issue and I would welcome a comment on it.

In terms of the point on common law, penalty points are the biggest issue I have seen in fisheries in my time on this committee in the past five years. In terms of the Minister's position and the basis of his approach, I heard his testimony at the previous hearings and I ask the witnesses to comment on that. He seemed to say that he is legally bound in respect of the issue because of the advice he has received. I have started my own inquiries into the matter. What is the information of fishermen on the advice? What the Minister said was very strange to say the least. I asked him straight out if there was any other two-tier system in his Department in the area of agriculture. It does not exist in agriculture, but it does in fisheries. I would welcome clarity from the witnesses on their view on the Minister's statement at the committee's previous meeting.

On the media, in hindsight, we should have had this meeting back to front. I would have preferred if the fishermen came in first and the regulator came in afterwards. The issue about the media is something we almost need to go back to the regulator to talk about whether there are leaks of information. My first question is whether the Data Protection Commissioner, Helen Dixon, has been informed. Has she been asked where the information has come from and if it was leaked? Articles were published in three major newspapers. The information must have come from one or two sources, either the commission or the regulatory body itself. For me, that is a data protection issue. Ms Dixon mentioned it. I am interested in the views of the witnesses in that regard because we must stop having a one-sided conversation.