Ms Maev Nic Lochlainn:

This is under head 4. The reason for this is simply that since 2005 there have been many amendments to EU rail legislation which has involved additional functions being given essentially to the CRR. The purpose of the amendment is to broaden adequately the scope of any potential order that could be made for conferral of additional functions on the commission. It flows from the amendment proposed for section 10 in view of the European Commission now having a remit broader than railway safety. For argument's sake, it now also does economic regulation because of legislation that was brought through by the EU, which was transposed in Ireland. Similarly, it reflects the fact that it used to be called the Railway Safety Commission. Given the commission now has that broader remit, it is now called the CRR. The amendment is, therefore, simply a reflection of this new reality, which was also recognised by the Oireachtas in 2016. It is just a further extension of that.

Head 6, the code of practice for the governance of State bodies, allows for an interval period of between three and five years for the mandatory publication of a statement of strategy. Section 29 currently imposes a requirement on the commission to publish a statement of strategy at least every three years, and the proposed amendment is to extend the interval to at least five years. The commission is a regulatory body. Much of the work that it does, while important, will in a sense be the same. There are safety management systems which it will have to oversee and regulate. There are pieces of infrastructure coming into service which it must authorise before they are allowed into service, and there is a risk-based audit and inspection regime. These tasks will not radically change. In that context, and also given the code of practice for the governance of State bodies allows it, it is understood that in the context of this organisation, five years will be adequate.