Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for the confusion. I will speak to amendments Nos. 35, 36 and 95 to 102, inclusive. Amendment No. 35 seeks to amend section 9 by specifying, with regard to the functions of the agency, that as well as supporting the development and maintenance of a national system of research and innovation, in co-operation and collaboration with An tÚdaras, Enterprise Ireland and the other bodies to which section 51 applies, that the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, would also be a named body. The EPA is named in section 51, but I wonder what the rationale for not naming it here is. It seems the primary focus is on how to make research and innovation beneficial to enterprise, and that a framework that looks at society as a whole and our shared planet is missing from the Bill.

Amendment No. 36, in a similar vein to amendment No. 35, seeks to amend section 9(1)(c) by specifying in the functions of the agency that as well as supporting the development and maintenance of a national system of research and innovation in co-operation and collaboration with An tÚdaras, Enterprise Ireland and the other bodies to which section 51 applies, the Health Research Board would also be a named body here.

Amendments Nos. 95 to 102, inclusive, seek to amend section 51 to add to the list of bodies with which the agency may enter into administrative co-operation. Amendment No. 95 would add the Irish Federation of University Teachers. Amendment No. 96 would add the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Amendment No. 97 would add the Heritage Council. Amendment No. 98 would add Coimisiún na Meán. Amendment No. 99 would add local authorities. Amendment No. 100 would add the Climate Change Advisory Council. Amendment No. 101 would add the Arts Council. Amendment 102 would add the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. At present, the bodies with which the agency can enter into administrative co-operation is far too narrow. It is enterprise heavy and misses the whole-of-society and environmental approach that we need.

Amendment No. 38 seeks to amend section 9(1)(c) to charge the agency with an additional specific function to promote research linked with economic, social, cultural and environmental development and sustainability. The Bill empowers the agency to function in support of all of its objectives but certain subsections go on to describe in more detail the nature of the agency's commitments as they relate to its economics objectives. As a result, it seems important that a specific function to promote research linked with economic, social, cultural and environmental development and sustainability should also be provided. This amendment would ensure the objectives of the agency under section 8 are fully congruent with the functions of the agency provided in section 9.