Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will answer Deputy Collins's question first. It became apparent since the publication of the Bill in 2011 that there was a lack of clarity on the persons to whom the Bill should apply. We needed to set out who, among all the people in the State who have legal qualifications, ought to be subject to the authority's regulatory regime and be subject to the payment of the levy that will fund the new bodies. We do not want the Bill to apply to legal academics, such as writers, but we want it to apply to those barristers who are taking new and innovative approaches to their practice, which may be outside the Law Library. For those reasons, this set of amendments on key definitions is necessary.

Deputy McNamara's question highlights the point that we have not had definitions and regulation in regard to barristers. That is why they are set out in this Bill. They are already set out for solicitors under the solicitors legislation. However, we are setting them out now for the first time in respect of barristers. That is why this section is specific but, clearly, it applies to both.

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