Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I move amendmentNo. 62:

In page 15, to delete lines 23 to 29 and substitute the following:

"(3) Regulations under this section shall require the prior approval of both Houses of the Oireachtas following debate.".".

This amendment is straightforward. The Minister has said in the past that there is a significant number of regulations and that it would put an onerous burden on Members to deal with all of them. When it comes to such major changes in our justice system, however, we have a duty to ensure the regulations come before the Houses of Oireachtas.

As an Opposition Member, I often complain about the regular procedure whereby motions are referred to committee without debate. However, the work being done by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs through its scrutiny sub-committee is an example of how to deal with a broad range of legislative provisions and directives. Where there is no great opposition to a particular provision, as is often the case with many of these practical measures, it would be beneficial to society to provide an opportunity for Members to make an input. This would help to ensure that mistakes do not happen and that regulations are made better through this additional scrutiny. It is akin to a watchful eye cast upon them every now and then.

See this speech in context