Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

What might happen if one of the headcases in Government were transferred to this Department? One can only imagine the consequences if the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform were let loose on section 13(1)(c). It does not bear thinking about the level of hassle that unfortunate employees could be subjected to under such conditions.

I have fundamental reservations about section 13(1)(c) for the reasons outlined. We have already covered this ground on Committee Stages and during the Report Stage debate on the last occasion. I hope the Minister of State will delete this section until he has had a proper opportunity to consider the regulation he has committed to bring forward. In other jurisdictions, particularly the United States, significant volumes of regulations are in place in advance of legislation or are produced in tandem with legislation. This affords legislators an opportunity to be more sure-footed in considering the issue at hand. This is a significant matter and the section should be deleted so we may be afforded a proper opportunity to establish what is involved.

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