Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I addressed this point in my last intervention where I spoke about the power of the Minister to issue directions. That is for the purpose of specifying particular actions. The directions relate to general policy. I do not think that we are being in any way draconian in that sense. There is a strong culture in this country of successive Governments, regardless of their political hue, having endeavoured to engage with stakeholders in this area. I point to the evidence of the research prioritisation steering group where we asked Mr. Jim O'Hara to chair that process. We brought in all the State's funders of research and those in industry and academia - a myriad of people involved in this area. We try to arrive at the best policy outcomes through a process of stakeholder engagement. It is important to state the powers of the Minister given the democratic mandate that he or she or the Government has. It is not heavy-handed or draconian to state SFI is funded through the Department's Vote and, in that sense, must be directed ultimately by the will of the people. Therefore, I would not support the acceptance of the amendments. SFI's objective is set out in legislation and it is designed to promote and assist the development and competitiveness of industry, enterprise and employment in the State, and that is a worthy endeavour.