Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

Like Deputy Hogan, I regret having to oppose this Bill because I support the principle behind the establishment of the PIAB. This amendment Bill is simply anti-citizen and anti-consumer, contrary to what the Minister stated.

The Bill constitutes an assault on the most fundamental principle of our democracy and our Constitution, that is, the principle of freedom of citizens to their entitlement to be treated fairly before the law. The Constitution protects that right, inherently and in a variety of Articles, and this Bill acts as an assault on that.

It is simply alarming that this legislation, which is aimed at attacking that freedom of equality before the law and equality of representation, is being pushed through by this Government in a style that is redolent of the Politburo in Soviet Russia. Allow me to highlight some of the tactics that have been applied. There has been no public consultation on this Bill, there has been no public debate on it, there was no reference in the Fianna Fáil manifesto to this legislation, there is no reference to it in the programme for Government and the Minister is now proposing to rush it through the House as though it were emergency legislation, which it clearly is not.

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