Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 11a:

In page 14, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:"(5) A person shall not be eligible for appointment to the Authority if that person has served as a member of the Solicitor’s Disciplinary Tribunal, the Barristers’ Professional Conduct Tribunal or the Barristers Professional Conduct Appeal Board at any time in the five years preceding the date of appointment.".

This amendment was not really discussed earlier. It seeks to ensure no member of the authority will have a conflict of interest arising from the administration of the tribunals. It is hard to conceive of how an authority could realistically exercise its statutory functions if members of the board had intimate knowledge of prior cases. I ask the Minister to consider that aspect of the matter.

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