Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies for their contributions. It is important to point out that a customer is anyone who gets a service. Not everyone is necessarily registered. Section 8, which is about dispute resolution, provides that one has to be registered. That might help Deputies. I assure those who have commented that this is being done for the right reason, which is to ensure everyone can give feedback. As I have said already, I accept the spirit of the Deputy's amendment. I will send the draft form of the regulations that will set out the costs and numbers, etc. in this regard to the committee. The committee can come back to me. I have made a fairly clear commitment that we will make decisions based on the committee's recommendations. I cannot make a clearer commitment.

I was asked whether I have spoken to local authority representative bodies on this issue. No, I have not. I will do so. Like the Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, I have spoken to them on a number of occasions. I presume the appropriate time to do so will be when the actual law is passed rather than beforehand. This amendment is in the right spirit. The new forum will not be a talking shop. It will allow customers to bring forward any issues they might have. It is based on a model used in Wales and Scotland. Other representatives will be able to bring forward issues if needs be. As regards the numbers, I admit that the band provided for in the legislation is quite wide. When I am making decisions on the draft regulations, I will take on board whatever the committee says about the numbers. I can genuinely say I have no set figure in mind.

This section of the Bill provides for the principle. It has been designed deliberately not to be very specific. I want to take on board the views of the committee. I have said on numerous occasions that I will welcome those views. I will also welcome the committee's recommendations about who should sit on the forum. If they believe representative bodies such as trade unions should be represented on the forum, obviously I will not have any issue with that. It is possible that local authority members will be involved. I will look at whatever is suggested. It is pretty open-ended. I will make some recommendations about the draft regulations and send them to the committee. I will make a decision on the basis of what the committee returns to me. I will absolutely take on board the committee's recommendations. I am making that commitment to the House in the spirit of the amendment that has been proposed. Many of the references that have been made to people who should sit on the forum, including in the amendment, will be borne out.

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