Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I, too, support Senator Zappone's amendment. I welcome the fact that this is one of the areas where the Government has at least brought forward an amendment. I would have preferred to see more Government amendments to address the issues raised on Second and Committee Stages, but I acknowledge that the Government has moved somewhat on the matter.

I share the same concerns about setting a benchmark. It is important at this stage to set a benchmark for the review and that it should not be simply a box-ticking or quantitative exercise - Senator van Turnhout remarked on this as well - whereby the Government would simply list the number of certificates issued. Rather, it should be monitored against best practice developments in this area, human rights standards and so on, as set out in Senator Zappone's amendment. For this reason, the amendment Senator Zappone has put forward is superior and I hope it will get the support of the House.