Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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I apologise for missing the start of the presentation. I want to ask a couple of questions on this. The proposal is really positive. My concern is about the delays and the timelines Dr. Ryan set out. Is there anything preventing us from moving ahead of those timelines, given that a lot of the recommendations are in line certainly with what this committee has recommended around puppy breeding. Could we move earlier?

The second is about - I am not sure if Dr. Ryan mentioned this in the briefing - an independent inspectorate to enforce this legislation, if it were to come in, and to enforce the existing legislation. My understanding is that there is a conflict of interest between the local authority issuing the DBE licence and then the local authority being the one to carry out the inspection. Would we be moving to an independent inspectorate and having not only consistency around the standards being applied but also transparency around those inspections so we would be able to see the inspection reports, like we do with HIQA and other independent bodies that go in to inspect buildings? Would that be part of this or could that be something the Government is examining?

The other element is getting a NACE code for puppy breeding. My understanding is that it is not captured by Revenue at the moment because it does not have a separate NACE code. That comes up for review under the European Union as well. Is the Government seeking, especially now that we will have these changes or reforms coming in, that puppy breeding establishments would have to have tax clearance and that Revenue would have oversight of just how much money these facilities are making and giving back to Revenue?