Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The amendments, which I will not accept, would transfer the responsibility for preparing a programme from the agency to the Minister. The strategy will be prepared by the Minister and have to be approved by the Government, and the idea is the programme is the operational element prepared by the EPA. This is based on the model used in the waste prevention strategies and programmes, which is functioning. The agency is, of course, fully independent and if the Minister contravenes that independence by intervening in its operational decision-making, it will defeat the purpose of having an EPA that can carry out its operational tasks. The Minister will set the strategy, therefore, and the EPA will look after the operational portion. That is my reasoning for leaving that operational responsibility with the EPA and leaving the strategic responsibility with the Minister.