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

These amendments are included to ensure a smooth transition to the new regulatory authority in regard to these issues and for clarity and consistency for the hand-over. Many amendments are improvements in the drafting. There are a lot of improvements in the drafting. The core of the amendments is to make crystal clear that all new complaints will go to the new authority after enactment. The amendments also place a three-year limit on the complaints about inadequate service but there will be no time limit on complaints about professional misconduct by a solicitor or a barrister.

With regard to the point raised by Senator Barrett, the amendment is because they will be dealing with the solicitors' accounts regulations and will have to come to a view in relation to the particular issue. It is they who will come to that view and that is why we have inserted the wording "in the opinion of the Law Society" as they are the people who will be dealing with this, coming to a view as to the irregularity or not. This would always be subject, as the Law Society and the Bar Council will be, to the independent regulation of the legal services regulatory authority.