Michael McDowell (Independent)
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First, I identify with your words, Chair, to the Minister on this day. I thank him for many decades of public service, which I know are not yet quite finished. The sacrifice that is made in terms of personal life and family life of such a long record of service is very substantial indeed. I want to put on record that the country as a whole should be grateful to the Minister for the persistence and single-mindedness that he has shown in respect of the agenda items he has championed. I wish him well in whatever the next phase of his environmental career will be.

Could the Minister indicate when we were originally supposed to have the electronic communications directive implemented and operational in Irish law? When were we supposed to do that? The Minister says it was proposed to do it by statutory instrument but then at a later stage the Attorney General's office said that it had to be done by primary legislation. What was the second date, if one likes, as to when the Department received that information from the Attorney General's office? Could the Minister just comment on those two dates and where we are now in regard to that issue?