Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This section is very much along the lines of the architecture of similar bodies and that is the reason it is included, but, of course, this body is being dealt with differently in the context of its independence. On a personal level, I do not see why the chief executive of this body, if he or she has some critical opinion to express about the merits of some Government policy, should not be free to express it. It does not make a heap of sense and, in the context of reasserting the independence of the body, I cannot see a merit in necessarily retaining the section. Given that it was a last minute amendment and that there is a procedure I normally go through in advising colleagues of amendments I am accepting, I ask both Deputies to hold this amendment for Report Stage. On a personal level, I think it is an appropriate amendment to make, but I would like to do it in a manner where I would inform colleagues intending to travel this route. The technical answer is that the Attorney General would like a little more time to consider it, I suspect, but I do not see the purpose of this provision in the Bill at this stage. I think it replicates provisions put in place where State bodies are reporting to Ministers, as opposed to State bodies that are clearly independent of Ministers.