Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 77:

In page 24, line 36, after "Minister," to insert "who shall report to the Oireachtas,".

I apologise for my absence from the House for a few minutes. We are back on the same track of bringing the Minister and the Oireachtas into the equation. The Minister can take this on board and I will not spend too much time on it. It is not intrusive. The Minister can report to the Oireachtas anyway, and it is a question of being doubly sure and keeping the Oireachtas informed on what is happening. The Oireachtas may not normally have access to this information, be alert to it or aware of it. There are so many directives, generated in Europe and nationally, coming through faxes, e-mails and all types of sources at present that a meitheal is needed to monitor their value, extent and impact. It would be no harm if the Minister reports to the Oireachtas.

Amendment No. 80 is related and correctly so. It is very similar, and states "provided the Minister and the Oireachtas had been informed". This is a similar debate to those we have had in respect of the last number of sections. There is a necessity to inform the Minister and the Oireachtas. Amendment No. 81 is similar and is self-explanatory.

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