Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the committee members. It was helpful to hear all of them collectively on this subject.

Deputy Ó Cuív is correct. Originally, it was a broader proposal but the original Bill did not align the road safety legislation with the Wildlife Acts. As the Deputy will be aware, that was a Government amendment. There is no good faith breach here. There is no sharp practice. I take exception to that and to the Deputy stating that democracy is not at work on the basis that I had the discretion to make these regulations or not. I hear what the Deputy is saying. From the Government's perspective, there are people in my own party who very much wanted these regulations to go ahead and it is not a decision that I made lightly. However, we were in a different situation than we were when the Bill was initiated in 2016.