Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 20:

In page 35, line 19, after “Minister” to insert the following: “, following consultation with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government,”.

Under this subsection the Minister may give a direction to the regulator to amend draft standards. That is quite a significant shift. Obviously, the Minister would do that on foot of legislation or policy developments in his or her Department, but there is no requirement for any level of consultation. The Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government should be consulted, which is why I propose inserting this phrase. Again, I am only making a consultative request.