Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Under the proposed legislation, the new Competition and Consumer Protection Commission will be independent in the carrying out of its functions and duties. In this context, it will have to operate within the legislative framework set out in the Competition and Consumer Protection Act and the obligations placed on it by EU legislation.

Resources will be made available to the new commission in the same manner as all other State bodies as part of the budgetary and Estimates process within the employment control framework. Currently, both the Competition Authority and the NCA already operate according to published prioritisation principles.

The Bill provides, in section 28, that the new commission will issue a strategy statement every three years which will be laid before each House of the Oireachtas and which will, among other matters, set out the key objectives, outputs and related strategies, including use of resources, of the commission. This will give the visibility and transparency to the work of the commission when taken together with its annual reports. It is also worth noting that section 18 of the Bill provides that I, as Minister, may issue directions in writing to the commission requiring it to comply with such policies of the Government as are specified in the direction and such directions must be laid before each House of the Oireachtas.

In light of the above, I do not believe that this amendment is necessary and I am not in a position to accept it.