David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is an absurd amount of time to put in. I wholeheartedly agree with Senator McDowell's amendment No. 12, which seems perfectly reasonable and moderate because it replaces "15 years" with "3 years". I think three years is plenty. I do not see why they should be disinfected at all, but if the Minister is going to do it, three years is a perfectly reasonable amount of time.

To go back to the deletion of lines 33 to 37, the purpose of my amendment is to delete subsection (2) of section 2. That subsection effectively defines the term "relevant period". The term "relevant period" is used in the definition of "lay person" and provides 15 years as the minimum period that a barrister or solicitor is required to cease to practise to enable him or her to be considered a layperson for eligibility to serve as a lay member of the judicial appointments commission. For the reasons I have given, I completely oppose that.