Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 3, line 19, after "provisions" to insert "subject to the agreement of all relevant parties".

We discussed this issue for some time on Committee Stage in the hope the Minister might consider introducing a requirement for parliamentary approval for proposals. There are reasons for and against that but, in the final analysis, parliamentary approval is the ultimate in democracy in respect of any proposal or legislation. As we have seen an increase in the number of bodies with quite an amount of autonomy, and apropos the debate on the previous amendment, the recognition by everybody of the supremacy of Parliament should be borne in mind. That does not, in any way, limit the degree to which the single electricity market operator, or otherwise, could carry out its functions or duties. It may mean that the respective parliaments, authorities or those who might be affected by decisions made in a positive or negative way would be alerted to the fact. That is the gist of all the amendments.

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