Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 12:

In page 4, line 37, after “regulations” to insert “and will outline such supports as may be offered for the same”.

On amendment No. 10, putting a side clause into brackets is something I always resist. Now that it has been opened as a possibility, I will be able to get more elaborate in my future amendments. It opens up all kinds of new versions of amendments. I am noting it for future reference.

With amendment No. 12, I am a little concerned there might be a bit of a chilling effect or perverse incentive, which I know is not the intention, in the new section 20A(2), which states, "In making regulations under this section, the Minister shall have regard to the estimated costs of complying with, and enforcing, such regulations." My concern is that this could be read as a disincentive. It could be read, as far as is practicable, that it could be expensive to enforce regulations and it may also be expensive for companies to comply with them. That might act almost as a lowering of the bar of ambition and it reads that way. It is a caveat that covers almost all of section 1. That is my concern.

My amendment simply tried to make the subsection clear by adding the words, “and will outline such supports as may be offered for the same”, to effectively bring out what I imagine is the intent of the subsection whereby the Minister will be aware that costs will be associated with compliance. There may be a cost associated with the enforcement of regulations but that cost should not be a dissuasion to action. Rather, it is something that should be considered. My amendment, therefore, simply suggests that if costs are considered and recognised, information is then provided as to what supports might be available to address those costs, rather than the costs being a reason to perhaps delimit regulation or lower our ambition in respect of regulations.