Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

The Supreme Court judgments mean that some of the body of legislation developed since 1973 could be susceptible to legal challenge. Essentially, secondary legislation made in good faith over three decades by dozens of Ministers from successive Governments under the powers given to them by Acts of the Oireachtas may be in doubt. The Attorney General's advice to the Government was that the issue needed to be addressed and that is the reason for the Bill before us. Deputy Costello and others referred to this issue on Committee Stage.

Our founding fathers and predecessors in government believed that secondary legislation was sufficient for the practical implementation of law and regulation.

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