Mr. Barry Delany:

We are very happy, after this meeting, to share with the Deputy all the information we have to hand to outline exactly what we are currently doing. On the request to restrict movement from Scotland to Ireland, it is a difficult situation with regard to where we are in terms of the plant health law. One may have a country that has set up a pest-free area and they are prepared to stand over it on the basis of the surveys. They share all the information with us as well. When they are prepared to stand over that, the competent authority of the United Kingdom and the Scottish authorities are prepared to stand over that, and there has been no evidence of any findings within that pest-free area, it is very difficult for us to then unilaterally take such action under the plant health regulation, whether it is the EU rules or the international trade agreements. Obviously, we then could be viewed to be breaking, first, the TCA with the UK with regard to Brexit, and second, the WTO SPS rules.

In our exchanges with the European Commission, following our own legal advice, and as agreed with our Scottish and Northern Ireland colleagues, we try to have a negotiated agreement with regard to what can be done here. We are trying to take a precautionary approach. We are very near the final stages of an agreement with the Scottish authorities on that.

This is to do with their increased surveillance and certain restrictions regarding where product might come from. It is also about the timing of that and having it in place before the flight season of the bark beetle might commence from April on, which is very important. That is where we are at. As soon as that is finalised, which I hope will be imminent, we will come back to the committee to update it.

To address the Deputy's second question on engagement with stakeholders and the review, under the plant health and biosecurity strategy we published, as part of that communication, outreach and awareness I mentioned, engagement with stakeholders on the importance of plant health is very important. There is to be a broader plant health network of all stakeholders involved in plant health, but specifically and immediately we will set up the forest health network to engage with the IFA and all those bodies - the Deputy mentioned the Irish Timber Council and the FII - directly involved in this situation to deal with the bark beetle. It would be useful maybe to-----