Seanad debates
Wednesday, 9 April 2003
Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages.
I was not able to reply to Senator Higgins's previous interventions but I should say that the ministerial review that has been promised is a review by the Minister of the legislation. From his perspective the top priority is now to advance the second item of legislation dealing with the consultative panels from consumers and from the industry. When that legislation is enacted a number of years will have passed and at that stage he envisages conducting a ministerial review. It is important to stress that full accountability to these Houses has been written into this legislation, not just through the laying down of documents and the formulation of strategic review plans but through the designation of a number of crucial officers in the new authority, and in the Central Bank, who can be called before Oireachtas committees to give an account of themselves. The Oireachtas is free at any time to review this legislation and its operation and implementation, and that is fully written into the Bill. That is my reply to the point raised by the Senator in his previous remarks.
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