Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is no way the amendment would set someone up as an officer for life. If that were the case, it would be necessary to introduce term limits for all principal officers and higher executive officers. I have outlined the issue, namely, the failure to specify a term. As Senator Cummins also noted, if the Minister had proposed a term of seven years to be followed by a review or renewal, I would have accepted the proposal. However, this is not stated in the Bill and, as such, the text is open to interpretation. Could the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission decide to set a term of two years or specify another arbitrary period under this legislation? Could it also specify a term which either does or does not coincide with an electoral cycle?