I propose to take Questions Nos. 284 and 292 together.
In my reply during Oral Question Time on 22 April, I gave full details of the written commitments I received from the chief executive of Tesco Plc. by letter dated 4 April. Since then I have had further discussions with Tesco following which Tesco has also committed itself to an action plan for the Republic of Ireland that includes a number of key undertakings as follows:
Benchmarking — Forbairt and Bord Bia have been invited by Tesco to action a benchmarking audit to identify the level of existing Irish sourced products by sector and supplier size. Tesco intend to invite the ESRI to play a role in this process as an independent organisation.
Transition Planning Group — will be established with Forbairt and Bord Bia to advise Tesco on the implementation of their proposals to strengthen and grow the market. The group will draw on the expertise of the industry and any other relevant State body.
Annual Targets — Tesco's development plan, to be completed within eight weeks, will have annual targets by which purchases from Irish companies based in Ireland will increase; the targets to be reviewed regularly in conjunction with Forbairt and Bord Bia.
Head Office — will be maintained in Dublin as a base for Republic of Ireland business. This will act as a buying office for the vast majority of Irish sourced products for the Irish market. Functions such as buying, marketing and pricing will be under the authority of senior management based in Ireland.