Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I understand what they are saying. What I do not want to do, though, is undermine executive decision-making. I do not want a future Minister to be in a situation in which the policy has changed but an Oireachtas committee then tries to hamstring the implementation of that policy by interfering with the setting of new standards for the regulator such that it could regulate the new environment in accordance with the new policy. That is the risk with the statutory consultee aspect of this. Where the committee found itself unhappy with the direction or wanting to quiz or question it, it could haul in the Minister and have that engagement at that point. I see a risk, however, that the executive decision-making powers of the Minister and Government would be undermined - intentionally or otherwise - by an Oireachtas committee having a statutory role here before the new standards were set.