Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

The amendments were never intended to stifle the commission in its work. They are intended to provide criteria whereby one can identify why certain people were called before it. There is a vagueness about the vast majority of the Minister's words and the terms used by Senator Fitzgerald like "most representative" and "allow the commission discretion". The complainants and the general public will want to know why these criteria are not there and what determines if somebody is called before the commission. That is the kernel of the proposed amendments. They are not intended to stifle the progress of or to restrict in any way the workings of the commission.