Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I totally accept the Minister's bona fides here and that he truly believes what he says. However, that will not matter the moment this Bill is passed into law because it will no longer be within his gift to control how this legislation is used by the commission. It will no longer be within his gift to tell the commission what to do or to prescribe how long it should wait after advertising a post or what type of person should fill the post, whether it be a liberal or a conservative. The Minister does not have that gift once this Bill passed into law. Legislation that is many years old is frequently struck down by the courts. This legislation, if passed, will outlast most of us in this Chamber.