Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 101: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he has plans to make the regulators in his brief more accountable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10689/08]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government includes a commitment to instigate a Review of the Economic Regulatory Environment. An Interdepartmental Group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and including a representative from my Department, has been tasked by the Government with advancing work in this area. An independent review is being commissioned by that Group to address the need for stronger international data and benchmarks in order to assess the comparative effectiveness of key Irish economic Regulators. The Review is expected to make recommendations on improving regulatory structures in Ireland, drawing on international models of regulation. Tenders for the Review are currently being assessed and it is anticipated that the Review will commence shortly and last approximately six to 9 months.

The Interdepartmental Group is also currently examining a range of measures to enhance accountability and the transparency of Regulators' operations and arising from its recommendations, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Economic Regulatory Affairs was recently established. The Committee's terms of reference focus on the operational efficiency of Regulators in key economic sectors such as: Energy; Communications; Transport; Health and Safety; and Financial Services. The Committee has already been briefed by officials of my Department on the Review of the Economic Regulatory Environment. The Committee have also met with the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), in pursuance of its Terms of Reference. More generally both ComReg and the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) meet from time to time with the Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Energy & Natural Resources.

A continuing balance must be struck to insure that our regulatory bodies remain accountable to our democratically elected political system while at the same time maintaining their necessary independence in the carrying out of their regulatory functions. I expect that the work of the Interdepartmental group and the new Oireachtas committee will help keep that balance in place.