Ms Geraldine O'Sullivan:

Deputy Fitzmaurice's research seems to be on the nose. The European spruce bark beetle has been in the UK since 1982 and there is evidence of it in the pest-free area in western Scotland. There is surveillance and monitoring and the committee can see that. I will supply a map to the committee so members can see the areas where the bark beetle has been identified and the years in which it has been identified.

The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle only came in 2018. As the Deputy said, it arrived on a consignment of timber. I did not know this but the Deputy said it was imported timber. That happened in Scotland. It was not a breeding pair. The beetle was found and captured in one of the traps.

The Deputy's comments on frost absolutely reflect the situation. The beetles breed in springtime when the weather gets warmer. We have now had multiple reproduction cycles because of the longer summers. That is behind it. In Europe, since 2012 and particularly since 2018, we have seen a rapid expansion of the beetle. That is to do with our warmer climate. Frosts and things like that absolutely stop the reproduction cycle. Those were the points made by the Deputy.