Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We debated amendment No. 14 but I withdrew it with a view to resubmitting it on Report Stage. Amendment No. 14 provides for a clearer and more succinct manner of appointment of the individual members of the commission. We stipulated that one of the non-judicial members of the commission would be nominated for appointment by the Council of the Bar of Ireland and one would be nominated for appointment by the Law Society of Ireland. We believe that is a clearer way of providing for members who will represent the practising arms of the legal profession. We do not believe it is necessary to have an entirely separate section to deal with this matter.

Amendment No. 14 puts forward a clear outline of the appropriate structures for the commission. It also consolidates the principle of gender balance on the commission. Amendment No. 14(3) states: "In appointing members of the Commission, the Government shall have regard to the objective that no fewer than 5 members should be women and no fewer than 5 members should be men."

I know the Government has provision referring to gender balance. Again, we believe that our amendment provides a cleaner way to provide for all the issues associated with the appointment of members to the commission in one section. We have tabled amendments Nos. 86, 87, 92 and 92 that we will reach later. They refer to gender balance requirements in the nomination of the candidates for Judiciary. In our view, it is very important to have further provisions on gender balance and there is a need to ensure gender balance in the Judiciary at that point as well. We see this as part of a package and that is why we oppose section 13.