Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Normally I would agree with some of Deputy Pringle’s points but in this case I can see where the Minister is coming from. Preceding “have regard to” is the word “shall”. It is mandatory, therefore, for the Minister to have regard to the various factors. I can understand Deputy Pringle’s concern that the Minister could simply dismiss the factors but the qualification of “shall”, which constitutes an imperative, deals with the issue. That is just my reading.