Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I must rise again and be really clear on these amendments. The Minister of State did not really address my concerns or my direct questions regarding who will be performing the various functions that are listed. Who will perform the functions?Who will invite the applications? Who will put the short list in place? Who will inform the Minister? Who will make recommendations to the Minister? Is there is a clear answer on that? All the information we have is that it may be in the form of a committee. We have no idea who will be carrying out those functions. It is reasonable to ask the Minister of State to inform us who will perform these functions, which are outlined as likely to be part of the procedure under section 6.

I will make an additional point on the wording of “may”, rather than “shall” include a committee. If the Minister of State is so keen to retain the ambiguity by saying that it will not definitely be a committee and that it might be something else, it would be appropriate that he would elaborate on what else it might be, besides a committee. If he does not want to lock it down and say it will be a committee, what else might it be? Maybe we could hear two or three of the options that are being considered. That would explain why there is not the ability to commit and to say that it will be a committee.

Last, and I tried to make this point nicely in my first contribution but I did have to object about this. I will have to continue to object if Members are putting inaccuracies on the record of this House. I would not be allowed to stand up to speak about an amendment I have tabled and say that it will give free ice-cream to everybody if my amendment does not give free ice-cream to everybody, which it probably could not because that would incur a cost on the State. Similarly, the Minister of State does not get to state there will be an open, competitive process to which any member of the public can apply if that is not in the legislation. It is not in the legislation. I do not know how many times it appears in the Minister of State’s scripts but it is not there in the legislation. Can we therefore stop stating these things and misleading the public by suggesting that something is being suggested when in fact-----