Mr. Doncha O'Sullivan:

The most straightforward thing I can say is that these are regulations made by the Minister, and after having complied with the statutory requirement to consult An Garda Síochána and the Policing Authority, they are approved by the Government. That is the decision trail. Clearly, anything that proceeds to the Government from the Minister will do so on foot of a memo our Department has prepared in which the various issues that arise are set out. As has been said, there were a great many issues involved in bringing forward this change and that would have been set out as part of its proposal. The authority to do this is a ministerial one under the Garda Síochána Act. The decision is then made by the Government, essentially, if that makes sense.