Mr. Jim Power:

I thank the committee for facilitating me and I thank Deputy Shanahan for inviting me. This Bill would improve the governance of Ireland, full stop. It can be developed and amended, but it would make a huge contribution towards improving governance.

I spoke about transparency, accountability and all of that stuff earlier. The polarisation of politics and society being experienced in this country - this is happening to a much greater extent in the United States, for example - it is now a global theme. One of the aspects that comes across in this regard is that people feel they are not being treated fairly. This Bill would help create a sense of fairness in the sense that people will recognise what is happening in their regions or counties. Information and factual data are really important. This Bill would certainly move us in the right direction in that context.