Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State but he did not answer any of the questions I had posed to the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and repeated in the presence of the Minister of State. When will we have sight of the GRECO report? Is the Minister willing to consider accepting the amendment or some version of it? We would be happy if it was in some way adjusted but it is important to have an explicit reference to the obligation to uphold judicial independence. I understood from the Minister of State's careful response that the Government is willing to make it implicit but not explicit. This is such an important consideration in any reform of judicial appointments that we believe it should be explicit. It is entirely in keeping with the expressed views of GRECO, both in this and previous reports, that judicial independence should be a cornerstone of a judicial appointments process.