Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It takes some neck that the last speaker, who effectively emasculated the 1997 legislation in 2003, would come in to lecture us about the effectiveness or otherwise of what is proposed. Having said that, I think members have been put in somewhat of an invidious position because of the late changes announced by the Minister in his amendments in recent days. It does, to some extent, make it more difficult to embrace the kind of pre-legislative scrutiny we embarked upon, as a committee, not just on this legislation but in other areas, where it has worked well. In fact, in recent days we have, I regret to say, seen evidence of the consequences of legislation that is rushed. In that context, I have some sympathy for the points of view being raised.

Nonetheless, I believe it is possible for us to proceed with Committee Stage today because, unless we gallop through, we are unlikely to reach the controversial elements of the legislation. I believe it would be opportune, in the interim, if the Minister and his Department would circulate us with some briefing documentation on where the amendments that have emerged have come from. We have not had sight of them and we do not know the rationale behind them. As a committee, we engaged quite effectively with other bodies in the context of this legislation to date. On that basis, we could proceed. We are not likely to reach the relevant sections today and it would give the Minister an opportunity to brief the committee more comprehensively in the context of the amendments that have been suggested.