David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The current position is that an agent can be appointed but, as the Deputy will have noted from my response, there are inherent dangers and risks around that. The amendment as drafted would allow the transfer of a licence to an agent who had not been through the checks and balances of the court. For example, Deputy O'Callaghan could get a licence and transfer it Deputy Jack Chambers who may or may not be of good character, and he would then operate it and the court would have no way of checking what is happening. That is the reason these serious safeguards are included. If somebody applies as a licensee, they can employ an agent to help them to run the licence, but transferring the licence is a completely different matter.