Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We cannot pre-empt what the report will come back with or what is linked to operational difficulties. Is it possible that the report will come back saying the operationalisation of the three days is very difficult and it is recommended that it moves to two days or four days? The chair can recommend whatever he or she wants so long as it is linked to the operation of the Act. Then, obviously, it is for all of us in the Oireachtas to review that. I want to be very careful. That is why when Senator Hoey and I were discussing this, I wanted to try to make it very clear that a recommendation may come in that, operationally, the three days are proving very difficult. The report may provide some recommendations based on operational difficulties. It is entirely possible that those recommendations will come in, but what is not in scope is a policy analysis that is not linked to the operation of the Act. I apologise to Senator Kyne because this is tricky. There will be people on both sides of the argument who may hear things they want to hear. In that context, I want to be very clear that this review is about the operation of the Act; it is not a review of the policy decisions set out in the Act.