Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I regret that I oppose what the Minister and Senator Ó Clochartaigh said. If one wants independent regulation, one does not hire those who were responsible for all the restrictive practices through the Law Society and Bar Council. It invites regulatory capture. The public will not be convinced. Somebody said it was Irish Water coming back to haunt us. Those who had been wasting water for years were all hired by a new body called Irish Water. The authority should have nothing to do with those who have very successfully held up progress in this field for 40 years or more. The public will not be convinced if those who they are used to seeing on television defending the restrictive practices of the legal profession are now supposed to be pro-consumer.