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

Amendment No. 15 is an ordinary provision that is completely in line with existing legislation, including the HEA Act. The document specified here could be any communication between the Minister and the board in the ordinary way of ministerial instructions being communicated. There is nothing extraordinary here. The board complying with an instruction of the Minister is mitigated in the Bill by the requirement to deliver on the remit of the agency and the principles guiding the agency, as laid out in the objects and functions. There is also a provision in section 31 which refers to the accountability of the chief executive officer to other Oireachtas committees and the ability of the committee to request the chief executive officer to attend before it to give an account of the general administration of the agency, including delivering on its remit, as detailed in the functions of the agency. Therefore, we do not propose to accept amendment No. 15 as this is an ordinary provision which does not afford the Minister any powers which could alter the functions of the agency in any real sense. There are rigorous reporting requirements in place to ensure that the agency delivers on its statutory remit.