Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We had a detailed discussion on this element. I was looking back at the record of the debate, which we concluded on 21 February last. This was around something myself and Deputy Clare Daly had discussed on Committee Stage with the Minister, which was effectively that, should an individual make a complaint, that complaint would be responded to in writing. We were not asking that every single complaint be investigated thoroughly or anything like it but, as Deputy Clare Daly will agree, simply that a complaint would be responded to. I want to correct the record because I did not mean what I said then to come out like it did, in that I had said that complaints were not being dealt with effectively by the DAA, when that was a charge some people were making. There is now an opportunity, given there will be an independent competent authority, for this level of independence to be there. What this is really about is ensuring that we are not watering down this amendment, which we had agreed in principle on Committee Stage. The Minister had indicated on Committee Stage that this is something he would accept but his own amendment flies in the face of that. I had outlined my view clearly on 21 February, as had Deputy Daly.

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