Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I do not have a problem with what the Deputy is trying to achieve. At one level it is reasonable to use the word "reasonable" in legislation. However, at another level an army of lawyers could spend time dealing with what is "reasonable" where somebody has a particular advocacy issue. "Reasonable" for that person might be two days, but "reasonable" in other circumstances could be two months. What the Deputy seeks appears reasonable, but in the circumstances it is better to try to include the timeframe in the strategic plan.

We are feeling our way somewhat. We need to know how many cases there will be and the kind of processing time required. The situation is too new for us to lay down a firm deadline which could end up being counterproductive. It is something for the future. Perhaps it should happen once the system is flowing.

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