Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Nobody opposes regulations. I recognise there is a need for them in certain circumstances but not to bypass consultation and engagement with the Oireachtas or provide a facility to do so. I acknowledge the commitment given by the Minister of State but, with respect, that is his personal commitment. My concern is that there is no provision to compel the Minister to consult. This is not something that should be done in secret. I do not mean to make that sound worse than it is but this should be done in the fullest and most transparent way possible. That is not the case with regulations, although regulations are appropriate in many circumstances. We have flagged with the Minister of State all of the reasons we are concerned. We are talking about the potential for exploitation and for issues to arise. In such circumstances, we should rush to transparency rather than in the opposite direction. That comment is not directed at the Minister of State personally and I respect the personal commitment he has given but that is all he can give. Without providing for this in primary legislation, subsequent Ministers could happily come in here and say they had changed this by regulation and there would be no recourse because they did give a commitment as that commitment was given by another person.