Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)

I reiterate that the link between the principles and policies in primary legislation is being strengthened in this Bill. Any decision that is made by the Minister will have to be made in that context. The focus of this Bill is relatively narrow. Senator Cullinane referred to the wider issue of local government reform, which is not encompassed in what we are talking about. We should confine ourselves to the narrow focus of this Bill. There is a long-established precedent that the Minister should be able to make these decisions. As I have said, I do not propose to accept Senator Cullinane's amendments.