Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Seanadóiri Crowe agus Ahearn as páirt a ghlacadh sa díospóireacht thábhachtach seo. I thank the Senators for their remarks about the Bill and the work of the bodies. I assure the House the legislation not only provides safeguards for Members but provides the Minister of the day with the ability to draft regulation should changes be required in how meetings are held on a virtual or hybrid basis.

The Bill is another step in the right direction as the Government continues to strive for better practice corporate governance among companies operating in the State and to drive compliance with company law and, where necessary, enforcement. I know this work is being done. I acknowledge and thank the Corporate Enforcement Authority, the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority and the Companies Registration Office for their work, which demonstrates how effective regulation and proportionate enforcement can operate in an enterprise environment. The Bill copperfastens our commitment to ensuring Ireland has a solid regulatory framework in place that allows enterprise to flourish, bolstered by the bodies under the Companies Act.

I thank all the officials in my Department who put much work into this. I acknowledge the work of the Company Law Review Group, whose members are practitioners in this space, give of their time and expertise for the benefit of the State and review legislation such as this. They do fantastic work. I thank Senators for their contributions and look forward to the next Stage.