Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would point out that the issue is precisely the fact that things might get taken out. I do not think we want to see anything taken out through a scheme, we want to see the measures that are necessary and that are basic in the law. It is precisely because of that idea of the Minister of State going back and forth taking things out. One can add extra provisions or protections through statutory instruments and others but in terms of the idea of removing any of the protections that we currently have, I would want that to be something that would come back before the Oireachtas and not something that might happen at a future Minister's discretion. That is exactly an example of why we need to do this.

I will again point out that Ireland has a poor track record, unfortunately. The Government, and the former Government, have a poor track record in terms of our interpretation of EU environmental law. That is why we have lost cases and been pulled up again and again. In trying to ensure that we get it right I am trying to save us from having a case where again we are found at fault in four years' time. We do not want and I do not want to put it on people that things have to go through courts and appeals processes. If we get things right at the beginning we save ourselves in that regard.