Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 4, line 18, to delete “may” and substitute “shall”.

This amendment seeks, in page 4, line 18, to delete "may" and substitute "shall".

The purpose of this is to take the discretionary power from the Minister on whether documents should be released to the public. We are talking about documents that relate to what is in the public interest. They are over 20 years old. There is a necessity to separate the public interest from the political interest. My worry is that this Bill is constructed in a manner which seeks to leave the Minister as the arbitrator of what is in the public interest. That is the purpose of the substitution of the word "may" by "shall".