Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

Absolutely. I listened carefully to the Minister and I do not for one minute dispute what he said. However, when any Minister of the day, even one from my party in the future, decides to introduce a levy and, after signing a regulation, lays it before the Houses of the Oireachtas and seeks the approval of the Dáil and Seanad, the Members on the Government side will have to support the Minister. I did not table any amendments to section 27 which states that a person shall not export an animal live from the State unless before export he or she pays the amount of outstanding animal health levy payable to the Minister. I do not suggest that over the next 18 months or two years the Minister will do this, but his successors in the following years may decide on the basis of this legislation to blame a previous Minister and state he or she was afforded the function of tabling animal health levies under the legislation.