Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I accept the Minister's concern and acknowledge there is the issue of revocation. As we are on Committee Stage, I ask the Minister to clarify that he does not foresee, for example, exemptions being made and remaining unreviewed for very long or prolonged periods, as science or others things evolve. The Minister has quite wide powers to exempt a product through regulation. Can he clarify that he does not envisage an exemption going unquestioned or unchallenged for prolonged periods? He has indicated that it is important for him as Minister, or whoever may be the Minister, to be able to revoke earlier, which is very good. I appreciate that a sunset clause is a blunt tool but I am interested in the intersection with section 3(6) because I would like the Houses of the Oireachtas to have the chance to engage. When an exemption is made for a particular product, sometimes there is lobbying by a particular industry or so forth. I do not want exemptions to sit unquestioned for five, ten or whatever years. I ask the Minister to comment a tiny bit more on the intersection with the Houses of the Oireachtas and what he expects to happen when there is an exemption made under regulation.