Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is statutorily barred from having any say in respect of adjudicating on applications that will be dealt with through this new regime. Taking the board of the EPA as an example, where the CEO and the team grant licences, board oversight is very different in respect of getting to the stage of adjudication where the expertise is required to make determinations and to make those decisions. There must, however, be a clear line of sight between those people and the board which sits on top as part of the governance structure, looks down and ensures that the body is meeting its objectives and ambitions and that there is proper oversight. As I said in respect of the corporate governance structure, we are working to reflect in that context many of the issues that were raised during the debate on Second Stage.