Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The ideal make-up of any committee will be determined by the tasks to be assigned. I have had the opportunity to set up committees in the past and will provide the Deputy with an example. On foot of the major storm that occurred earlier this year, I set up a windblow task force, to which I assigned different people from the industry who had knowledge on how to deal with it. It was a really effective committee and I intend to continue with it, because it acts as a great advisory group and has achieved a lot within a short timeframe. The forest liaison group is a different group in which environmental people are involved. It is my intention at all times to have a balanced representation and it is inherent in what I have already stated that I would get people with expertise from the various fields that are needed for the different committees that might be set up, when needed, on an ongoing basis. One cannot include precisely in legislation that one will put in so many representatives from the environmental sector, so many contractors and so on. As the Deputy is aware, it would not make for good representation. However, the thrust of the amendment I have tabled is to put people on committees that reflect all viewpoints.

As for the land availability group, while I would love to have received a report from it some time ago, this has not happened because there are disagreements on issues and it is hard to bring it to a conclusion. Although I would have liked to have received a report from it faster, because of the differing viewpoints it has taken a long time to get it. Moreover, there are times when one can set up groups that can be cumbersome or difficult to manage. Consequently, to aim for efficiency and as good a balance as one can get always is the best way to do it in order to run it in a more efficient way.

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