Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

Amendment No. 23 would make it mandatory for the Veterinary Council of Ireland to appoint an acting registrar in the circumstances described in subsection (9)(a). I fully recognise the importance of ensuring the office of the registrar of the council operates effectively at all times and that the affairs of the council are dealt with expeditiously. That said, the council must be afforded an appropriate degree of latitude to manage a range of day-to-day practical situations. For example, the registrar might be absent for a short period due to illness and it might not be necessary to formally appoint an acting registrar. I would like to draw Senators' attention to section 23(5). Under this subsection, the council is enabled to establish arrangements to ensure that its affairs can be conducted during very short absences from the office of the registrar. The subsection provides that another member of staff may be duly authorised to deal with specified issues and it would be prudent for the council to have such arrangements in place in advance. On balance, the concerns underlying this amendment are adequately catered for within the Bill as drafted.