Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I understand the point the Deputy makes. My Department's financial and commercial advisers have advised that the licence might include information which the licence holder would not like to be made public. The feature of the next licence bid which resulted in the licence being granted might have a proprietorial approach to individual products that, for example, might be in operation in other countries or that might be the subject of bids in other countries. The State recognises that there are or might be exceptional cases where provisions of the licence deemed commercially sensitive should be published if there was an over-riding public interest. It is right that in a scenario where it is deemed that the publication of the licence is in the public interest, the licensee who has paid the State for the licence has an opportunity to make an appropriate representation and plan for any public reaction in advance of that publication. The provision is consistent and is in accordance with the advice we have received.

I understand we are also discussing amendment No. 28. To make that section consistent with the other sections of the Bill which contain references to the regulator, it is proposed, to be gender positive, to insert the words "or her" after the word "his" in line 11.

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