Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Amendment No. 162 is an amendment to section 53, which refers to submissions or observations at request of the procedures committee. We are seeking the removal of the words "the Procedures Committee" and the substitution of "Commission". The commission will be doing this work as opposed to the procedures committee and that is the purpose of amendments Nos. 162 to 172, inclusive, in my name. Deputy Jack Chambers and I also seek to delete the references to committees and just have the commission fulfilling one function. In amendments Nos. 175 to 179, inclusive, to section 55, we are seeking to delete the references to committees and just have the commission fulfilling one function. In the further amendments Nos. 181 to 183, inclusive, to section 58, we seek to do the same thing, namely, to get rid of the procedures committee and just have the responsibility in the legislation as a responsibility of the commission, rather than the procedures committee. I think it will be easier that way. I do not think a body of this size, which has a limited amount of work needs to break itself into different committees. It will make the process more complicated and bureaucratic. It will make the function more difficult for the commission to perform and for that reason, I think we should get rid of the architecture which has the procedures committee. The commission should be responsible for all the functions in the legislation.

In substance, it will not change the thrust of the legislation because all the functions that are specified in the Bill as being functions to be performed by the procedures committee will be functions that will remain but they will be functions that will have to be performed by the commission itself rather than by a separate committee.