Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The amendment is neither necessary nor practical and for that reason I am unable to accept it. It would create an obligation on the chief bureau officer to formally assess approximately 18,000 organisations that are already registered with the bureau and that are considered compliant with the criteria set out in the legislation we are discussing. It would also go against the purpose of the section, which is to ensure that existing registered organisations can be deemed to be registered without having to resubmit an application to register. In the event that a small number of organisations are found not to be compliant, the bureau can refuse to provide them with a vetting service until such time as they become compliant. Non-compliant organisations are also open to prosecution under the Bill, although this does not apply currently. Subsection (7) provides that the bureau may remove an entry relating to an organisation registered if there is an opinion that the organisation is not or is no longer a relevant organisation as defined by the Bill.