Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I referred to the 11 members of the authority, five of whom will be from the legal professions and six of whom will be laypersons. There are always other bodies that people would like to have represented on boards and that is an understandable view. I have no doubt that many skilled non-governmental organisations with a significant interest in this area will closely follow the work of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority.

On the proposal to include on the authority representatives of the Legal Aid Board, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, the Bill catches many of the issues with which these organisations engage. We do not want to increase the size of the board because in my experience doing so can make boards unwieldy. We need a technical, talented group that includes people who take account of consumer interests and have the range of skills prescribed in the Bill. The selection provided for is carefully balanced and I am happy to stand over it.