Professor Gerard Whyte:

We have had some preliminary conversations with the Department about our role in relation to the interim commission. It is our understanding that we will be tasked with making recommendations in respect of the new or joint body and we will advance 12 names to the Government for appointment. Time is obviously pressing. While the heads of the Bill have been produced, the actual Bill has not yet been produced. It is our understanding that we will do this work at this point but that the legislation, when it comes to the Oireachtas, will include what I describe as a "bridging clause" which would, in a sense, retrospectively validate what we have done. This will allow us to do this work ahead of the legislation being enacted. We have had some conversations about this with the Department and discussed some issues that may arise in relation to the appointment of the interim bodies. That is how we see our role.