Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste will be aware that representatives of the Central Remedial Clinic are appearing before the Committee of Public Accounts today to deal with the scandal that emerged before Christmas. This has thrown into sharp focus the Charities Act 2009 which has not been enacted and the need for a charities regulator. When will the Government enact the Charities Act?

My second question refers to the mediation Bill. We are dealing with the Legal Services Regulation Bill. The reason the latter Bill was pushed so hard by the IMF and others was due to the cost of legal services for people in this State. However, the mediation Bill would have a much bigger impact in reducing costs by encouraging and enabling people in the context of family law and civil law to engage at an early stage before going the route of huge costs. The mediation Bill is on the B list, but that is not good enough. It might be available at the end of this year, but it is likely that it will be next year. Will the Tánaiste try to push that Bill forward?

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