Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I support my colleague in respect of this matter. No one wants to ensure that the legislation might represent an opportunity for lawyers to become even more wealthy. However, if someone makes a serious complaint to the commission — and even if the commission investigates said complaint in a private forum, which undoubtedly would be the case — I would have thought that basic legal representation would be afforded to the complainants on the basis that they would be doing not only themselves but also the public a service by bringing forward a complaint. It is important that people dealing with the commission would be given the right to representation. Many of the matters involved would be intricate and detailed and people would need to be advised throughout proceedings. This has not been provided for in the legislation and perhaps the Minister of State would indicate why that is the case.