Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

The Minister was particularly conciliatory in his interpretation of the proposed legislation. Conciliation is the hallmark of the Minister. We were expecting to have a conciliatory debate on this Bill today. I take on board the points made by Senator Dearey in respect of the legislation.

On reflection, I was not recommending a 12-month extension. The important thing is to remove disreputable individuals from the breeding industry. However, I remain of the opinion that a period of three months is too short. If the period were extended to six months, this would be of assistance.

Conciliation should influence the tone of the debate on this Bill, particularly in view of the fact that there are other issues which remain to be discussed. It would be far better if we made progress in that way. The Minister is prepared to reconsider the position before Report Stage, which is what we were hoping would happen. I thank him for his positive response.