Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)

Section 17 relates to the making of assessments by the commission to determine whether a public service body should be regulated by it. Paragraph (d) of section 5 to which this amendment refers lists appointments in the local authorities, health boards and vocational education committees, VECs. The reason for this requirement is that these sectors contain large and complex public service bodies and I wish to ensure that regulation is rolled out in these sectors in a coherent and structured manner. Accordingly, the commission must undertake an examination of all bodies in these areas before making a recommendation regarding their regulation. The reference to section 5(d) in section 17(1) requires that the commission must undertake an assessment of recruitment practices in these bodies before making a recommendation to the Minister that they be regulated by the commission. That there is no reference to section 5(e) means that the commission can make a recommendation that any public service post other than those in the local authorities, health boards and VECs should be regulated by the commission without the need to conduct a prior assessment. This is an important element of flexibility which means that the commission can bring these bodies under its remit on a case by case basis without the need for bureaucratic exercise and investigation. I do not accept this amendment.