Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Amendments Nos. 62 to 64, inclusive, propose to include provisions that the Minister shall, in the preparation of the strategy have regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Act 2014 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Environmental development and sustainability are already included in the provisions that the Minister shall have regard to. The Minister is required to have regard to any national policies that are relevant to the strategy and the provisions in the proposed amendments would be covered by these national policies. These amendments are, therefore, considered too specific for inclusion in the Bill.

Amendment No. 65 proposes to include a provision that the Minister shall for the purposes of preparing or amending a strategy consult with the Irish Research Council, IRC. The Minister can consult with other such bodies or persons as the Minister considers appropriate and consultation with the IRC could be undertaken under this provision. It should be noted that we are also working on a research Bill which includes consideration of the structure of the research sector, including the IRC.