Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Looking through the amendments on which my colleague, Senator Higgins, has just been speaking, I note that she has gone into the minutiae of the detail, as is typical of her. She understands that, while the Minister can give all the assurances she wants - and I know she gives them in the best of faith - there is still the question of those who come after her. The Senator is trying to ensure that fairness runs the whole way through the system so that, when the Minister leaves her office - to move on to bigger and better things I hope - and someone else takes her position, that person or a chairman of the appeals committee will be bound by the fairness written into the legislation and there will be no wriggle room. I will support this amendment and I hope a division is called on it. This is typical of Senator Higgins. She tends to look to the long term and at how people might interpret things. I ask the Minister to take on board her amendments. They do not change the legislation; they just build in safeguards which the Minister, as a member of the Green Party, must want to see in place. I will leave it at that.