Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I concur with what my colleague Senator Norris said. I have been before the Labour Court and rights commissioners on many occasions and while I respect that individuals have a right to choose whomever they want to represent them, we have a responsibility to ensure that it is a competent person. I will be accused again of supporting the creation of a nanny state. I have seen too many people's cases put back and resubmitted because somebody who had no clue what he or she was talking about misled the complainant in the first instance. The staff in the Labour Court and the Rights Commissioner Service have always been excellent at assisting, in so far as they can. The Minister has gone a long way towards ensuring we do not make the process overly legalistic, and I do not want that to happen. At the same time, I want some protection for the unsuspecting claimant who brings a case.