Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

The Senator and I agree on the broader issue of the need to reform how the Oireachtas and governance operate in this country. I do not need to remind people of some of the mistakes made. There are two roles for Ministers and the Oireachtas. We are legislators and it is up to us to establish a legal framework to allow decisions to be made by the Executive or the Government. The judgment call we must make in this respect is whether it is appropriate to insert in primary legislation a list drawn up by legislators with the technical input of veterinary professionals, farming organisations and so forth, especially given that this list will, undoubtedly, change from year to year, depending on the skill set of farmers and other developments such as new diseases, cures or methods of treating animals, for example, in the areas of dosing and injecting. One must ask, therefore, whether it would be appropriate for Members of the Oireachtas to be restrictive in inserting a precise list in the legislation or even to provide that while the list may not be exhaustive, the procedures included in the list are fixed. I am required in any case to introduce a regulation to add to the list. The whole thrust of the Bill is to put in place a legal framework for the decision making process which allows a Minister, by regulation, to compile a list.

Notwithstanding the fact that the legislation is supported by all parties - not a single amendment was tabled to the Bill in the other House - it has taken six months to reach this point. Furthermore, it must return to the Dáil for final consideration following this debate. If a farming organisation informs me that a new procedure is available and veterinarians have agreed that farmers may perform it, implementing the required change in law could take four, five or six months. This type of unworkable system has resulted in poor governance at times. While I understand what Senator Sean Barrett is trying to do, the purpose of the legislation is create conditions that will allow a Minister to consult appropriately before making a decision on what to include in or exclude from the list.

While we could have a long debate on who is an appropriate person to perform tuberculosis inoculation, the systems in place for tuberculosis are working reasonably well. We have fewer cases of the disease that at any time since the 1950s. For this reason, I am reluctant to tamper with the current systems until we come close to eradicating tuberculosis from herds which I hope will be the case in the not too distant future. While I understand from where Senator Sean Barrett is coming, I hope he will understand the approach I have taken, which is the right one.