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

Amendment No. 33 is consistent with the new section I introduced to the Bill on Committee Stage in the Seanad to deal, in a practical way, with the staff of the two legal professional bodies who have appropriate expertise in dealing with public complaints and whose functions are about to be taken up by the new regulatory authority under the Bill. Given there was cross-party support for it and I have already provided for the kind of practical solution to the staffing issue the Senators had in mind, I ask them to forego the amendment. We have made the relevant provisions on the other issues that arise regarding terms and conditions.

In response to Senator Barrett, the authority will be a new, independent body with independent management. The vast majority of staff will be recruited afresh. However, the authority will also have a group of staff who have expertise, built up over decades, and who are regarded as having done the job of dealing with the complaints that have come in. The issue has been raised across the House and we have come up the solution. It will be to the benefit of the authority to have this group of people who have expertise in the area and that we are making provisions for the transfer across.