Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to take No. 16 before No. 1.

I regret that I must oppose taking the Legal Services Regulation Bill today. We were here until well after midnight last night. I have no problem with that, but the Bill is a shambles. Page 41 of the Minister's own Bill was amended by her 105 times. That must be a candidate for the Guinness Book of Records. The page has 38 lines. Frequently, she sought to delete amendments on Report Stage that she had tabled on Committee Stage.

There is no definition of "mentor" in the Bill even though the Minister apparently believes it to be an important position. The conveyancing monopoly is not addressed despite the recommendations of the then Competition Authority ten years ago. The right to see a barrister without having a solicitor present is not addressed. All of the implementers of these restrictive practices are being moved across to work for the new authority, which we are led to believe is supposed to be pro-consumer. This is appalling legislation and how it is being put through the House is appalling. We need a properly printed version of the Bill before we take it any further. For instance, we voted - no doubt due to fatigue on the Government side - to remove the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, from his role in examining remuneration, expenses and superannuation. These are the people in the Law Society and the Bar Council who refused to disclose their incomes as part of the IFA scandal. We are telling them that they do not need to tell us their incomes and inviting them to work for the State and get State pensions as well.

We must stop this Bill. I oppose the order that it be taken today. As legislation, it is appalling and a shambles. We all know that. It involves amendments on amendments on amendments, including what must be a Guinness Book of Recordsentry. The Oireachtas should not submit to this type of treatment. The barristers and solicitors controlling the Bill have shunted out the Minister, Deputy Howlin, who has a job in every Department to ensure that we get value for money. He was removed under section 80. The Government side should reflect on why this happened. It happened because these people do not want to answer for their costs. They do not want him there, but society as a whole needs him there. The Government side should not have voted no confidence in its own Minister, which is what we drew to the Senators' attention. This Bill should not be allowed to proceed today.