Dr. Fiona Kelly:

On training, LAWPRO advocates for an integrated catchment management approach. Key to that is ensuring all those stakeholders are informed and that they understand it is a catchment-scale problem and that we need to tackle it. We have already delivered training to a number of different agencies. We delivered training to 48 ASSAP advisers, 72 members of the Agricultural Consultants Association, 70 staff members from the ACRES co-operation project, as well as 100 public local authority staff. As the Senator said, it is key to instil that confidence in them to be able to make the correct decision. We are doing that.

LAWPRO also has a co-ordination role. One of our jobs is to co-ordinate across all the different implementation bodies through our regional committees. That is something on which we work very closely with our colleagues here.

On recruitment, once approval was sought, we very quickly put panels in place. We are putting people on the ground who are appropriately trained and confident in decision-making.

On leading by example, LAWPRO already has an approach, outlined by Ms Hennessy, of working from the date we have, bringing it down to ground level and providing the information to ASSAP advisers in order that they can, with confidence, go to farmers and say that based on this very local assessment, this is what needs to happen, and if they take these actions, it will bring about improvements in water quality. That is what we are all here to try to achieve.