Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have to pass laws on the basis that different people will hold this position in the future. That is why I welcome the decision to place this report before the Houses of the Oireachtas. I would prefer if the Minister were obliged, as Deputy Ó Caoláin has suggested, to ensure the report is brought to the attention of the relevant committee. I would say it should be "referred" to the committee. The committees are autonomous and the Oireachtas is autonomous. I think the Minister should be obliged to bring the report to the committee's attention. One of the problems with providing for things to be laid before the Oireachtas is that such a provision is now being included in an increasing amount of legislation. In the early days after this idea was first suggested, presumably everyone kept an eye on the small number of documents that were being laid before the Oireachtas. This practice has become so prolific that it has become a problem for people to pick up on this stuff. The same thing applies in the case of EU legislation. It seems to me that much of the stuff that is put in the Oireachtas Library should be referred directly to one of our many Oireachtas committees, which can decide whether it wants to debate them. The Minister could start a very good practice and move things forward by recognising that times and circumstances have changed and that there are better ways of doing things than the way we did them in the past. If he gives me an assurance in this regard, I will not press my amendment. I would like to put it on the record that I welcome amendment No. 73.