Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I support the concept of the amendment. A debate will occur on whether the period should be five years, four years or three years. The period needs to be sufficiently long to allow for the evaluation of the efficacy of the legislation or its lack thereof. It should be short enough to allow us to react in time without letting too much happen that should not happen. It would also give an opportunity to the Minister, Department and Opposition to monitor what has happened over a reasonable period. There is not much sense in monitoring something over six months; one is hardly likely to get a worthwhile result at that stage.

It is important not to paint ourselves into a corner by specifying two years, three years, four years or five years; rather, it is a matter of evaluating how the legislation is working and determining what issues have arisen in the time involved. If it should transpire that, sooner than five years, four years or otherwise, something obvious needs to be done in regard to the legislation, the amendment would give an opportunity to all involved in this regard.