Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The amended subsection would read:

A person with whom the Minister or an authorised officer of the Department enters into a service agreement under section 74 may for the purposes of enforcing this Act, appoint in writing, with the consent of the Minister, such persons as he or she considers appropriate to be authorised officers for the purpose of all or any of the functions that the person may exercise under the service agreement.

This suggests that the Minister or the authorised officer of the Department can enter into a service agreement with an appropriate person. I see what the Deputy is getting at.