Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 342:

In page 56, line 31, to delete "4 years" and substitute "1 year".

This is the last amendment that I want to speak to. It relates to the review period. As I understand it, the legislation currently provides that it will be reviewed after four years. My party believes that is far too long and a one-year period would be much more beneficial. If there are difficulties or issues with the legislation, a review after one year will provide an opportunity to make changes. I do not see how anyone would disagree with that. It was one of the issues the committee discussed, particularly in relation to the idea of a new agency. We understood that would not happen overnight and we did not want to delay the process. We believed, however, that having a review after a year could at least identify if the legislation was working.

I feel strongly that this amendment should be accepted. It is not unrealistic to seek to have the period changed from four years to one year. Four years is a long time if something is not working, particularly when we are dealing with people who have such distrust. We have spoke about that and everybody acknowledges it. If the legislation was reviewed after a year, at least people could see whether it was working. Four years is a long time to wait before rectifying a problem.