Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is not a problem. The example given by the Senator is so far down the scale of what we are discussing as to be irrelevant. We are talking about people who are being charged with very serious criminal offences. The Department becomes involved when it stops somebody's payment on foot of such charges. The amendment is simply to protect the chief appeals officer whereby he or she will not be the person who tells the criminal that this is the reason a payment is being stopped. Members of the Criminal Assets Bureau are anonymous and would not place themselves or their families in jeopardy or danger in the way our CAO would in such circumstances. It is not another layer.