Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is a matter of concern for a number of important stakeholders and I assume that in the spirit of what the Minister has done previously he will accept the amendment. It would not be acceptable for the Minister to be perceived to have control of codes of practice and other such matters. The separation of powers comes to mind. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has expressed concern about the matter. I assume that in the spirit of the amendments the Minister has made to date he will accept there is a need to change this section to reflect clearly that it is the authority, in consultation with the various representative groups of the legal fraternity, that will agree on codes of practice rather than the Minister signing off on them.