Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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Fáilte go léir. I want to make an observation. What is very telling is the member states the economists who issued the statement come from. It seems to reflect the political stance of some of the constituent governments in a sense. I do not know if that was because they reflect those opinions or because they are afraid to express those opinions.

The first question is simple. What can Ireland do? We all have varying opinions. Do the witnesses from the Irish Coalition for Business and Human Rights think it is valid that some companies might need more time, especially if the original plans remains in place? There might be companies with 500 employees, but in the context of smaller companies trying to employ someone to deal with procurement and go through it, is it not fair to say more time is needed or is it a push-the-boat- out type of situation? I will turn that around for the witnesses from IBEC. I would go further and say that a company with 100 employees should be able to appoint one person to liaise in respect of procurement, go down the chain and see where products are coming from. How onerous is that in real terms if companies are trying to show good corporate diligence?

Let us take what Professor Widdis said about companies that are already doing it voluntarily. If they are doing it voluntarily, this shows that they have the capacity to do it. Are they all big companies? If they are, I suppose that is because they have a particular corporate social responsibility. Do the witnesses think it is too onerous for smaller companies? When it comes to fines from the EU, many Governments seem to be hoping that climate fines will not arise and that they will be watered down by 2032. In other words, that they will either not be applied or will be pushed out. Ms Clarke provided the most political commentary. Does she think this is a Trojan horse for doing nothing, in essence, in order to drag it out?

I am trying to give witnesses as much time as possible to respond collectively. My substantive questions are as follows. What can Ireland do beyond what it is doing? Are witnesses happy enough with what Ireland is already doing? Do they feel there is pressure on Ireland to water down things as well? What can we, as a country, do to influence the European Commission and the other decision-making bodies?