Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

Obviously we would have to see how this provision would work. If the Deputy is talking about targeting some activity from the point of view of sanctions, it would clearly destroy the entire purpose of sanctions if there was to be a wide and open discussion about them. I assume a Minister would brief the chairman. I believe the arrangement that works best in these cases is where Ministers deal as directly as they possibly can with the chair and the committee members. This is the only way the system can work. If one were to take the alternative route and include exclusions in the Bill, one would undermine the entire purpose of the legislation. The benefit of the Bill as drafted is that it is universal in its cover and there has not been an effort either by the promoting party or by Government in responding to it to include all the caveats and exclusions that are fairly typical.