Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I am open to correction on this, but I am advised the bodies specifically listed in the legislation are the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland, SOLAS, and Science Foundation Ireland, and they are listed because of their statutory establishment. They are statutory bodies and that basis is the reason we have chosen to include them explicitly as opposed to others.

On the other bodies, which the Deputy referenced, we are putting an enabling provision in the legislation that the Minister may by order prescribe a body for the purposes of this section, once it is established, in which functions are vested by statute or otherwise. This provision can be used in the future to prescribe bodies. Again, it is just a way of doing what we are trying to do here, which is to limit the specific and explicit outline to those three statutory bodies under my remit and that of my Department and to give the Minister of the day an enabling provision to prescribe other bodies. I certainly see merit in what the Deputy has said. If this legislation is passed, it will have the ability to look at how we can prescribe bodies, and no doubt the Deputy will be pursuing that vigorously with me. My rationale is that I am satisfied with the enabling provision.

On amendment No. 72, again we deem it unnecessary because we believe it is already included in section 34(2)(f) in the term "such other bodies". I understand this is not what the Deputy is trying to do and that he is trying to state it explicitly. That is the difference.