Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 20:

In page 18, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following subsection:“(5) All decisions by the licensing authority which have the effect of limiting or interfering with the licence holder’s ability to operate the licence shall be reviewed at the request of the licence holder, such request to be made within two weeks of the said decision to an independent adjudicator (such as the Office of the Ombudsman) for independent review.”.

We propose to delete a subsection and replace it with some language seeking to deal with a dispute that might arise between the licensing authority and a licence holder. The provisions in the Bill as it stands allow for the licensing authority to remove a licence from a licence holder but we are of the view that this should be done in an independent fashion. I suggest that any decisions by the authority "with the effect of limiting or interfering with the licence holder’s ability to operate the licence shall be reviewed at the request of the licence holder," with "such request to be made within two weeks of the said decision to an independent adjudicator", and we suggest the Office of the Ombudsman for independent review. If the Minister of State accepts the spirit of what I am saying, I am open to his views on how this might be done in an independent fashion.