Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

On regulatory reform, has the Government a definition of the role of a regulator in the sense of whether he or she will be primarily a status quo caretaker or an agent for change, for example, a transformer, as one might say, in the case of the energy regulator, to a less carbon intensive energy system in this country? Does the Government have a view of where the driver for change will be? Is it with the regulator or with the Minister, and does the latter thereby have a role in ensuring the regulator is co-operating in that regard?

The Taoiseach indicated in his reply that part of the regulatory impact analysis was to highlight costs. In what way does he measure the costs? In the case of the groceries order, for example, is the cost the loss of farmers, small retailers——

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