Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I do. The contract drafters would be expert drafters, who would be given shorter-term contracts of approximately one year to assist with really complex issues in respect of legislation being drafted. The longer-term proposal is to have two further permanent drafters. I might add that the business case also includes an application for two legislative editor positions. A legislative editor is a person who looks for technical errors such as spelling, grammar or formatting errors, as well as the accuracy of cross-referencing and so on. They also will review the text for sense, clarity and logic, as well as providing the drafters with feedback on how well the meaning of a provision has actually been communicated. Legislative editors are on a payscale that is much lower than that for drafters and, consequently, the work they would do would free up the drafters to be able to concentrate more on their specific and particular expertise in the area of complex drafting. As a general rule, any business case like this would seek approval for the filling of any casual vacancies that might arise for one reason or another during the course of a year. The position is that the business case seeks two contract drafters with shorter-term contracts and in the longer term for two permanent positions and two legislative editors at a much lower payscale than the drafters.

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