Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

There are many matters covered by regulation in this Bill, some of them matters of minute regulation of a disciplined force. Others are of a broader nature. The Bill differentiates in various sections between regulations which must be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and ones which do not have to be. That is how the Garda Síochána has always been run. Some regulations must be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas while others need not be. It does not make sense to say that every regulation in either the Army or the Garda Síochána should have to be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. In some cases we must be practical about such matters.

Deputy Jim O'Keeffe should also take on board that with the great raft of secondary legislation for which this House already has responsibility, the degree of scrutiny is far less than it might be. That applies to all sides of this House.

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