I do not wish to be unnecessarily difficult or obstructive but we are proposing to report on two matters, the proposed Directive on Mergers and on the proposed Regulation on the Control of Concentrations between Undertakings. I have only had an opportunity since this morning of looking at this draft report but as far as the part of the report concerned with the Concentrations Regulation is concerned, I would have a fundamental difference with the whole tenor of that report and I do not think I could do it justice in trying to put forward amendments at this stage. In view of the shortage of time, perhaps we could go ahead with the report in so far as it deals with the proposed directive on Mergers; it does not affect Ireland very much. However, the proposed Regulation on the Control of Concentrations is potentially quite an important one and I should prefer to see that part of the report deferred to the next meeting of the Joint Committee in order to put forward amendments.
Mergers and Control of Concentrations.
Generally speaking there was very little disagreement on the directive on Mergers when we discussed it in the Sub-Committee. There was some disagreement on the Concentrations Regulation and perhaps Senator Robinson's request is a reasonable one.
I should like to support that request. We have had the report for a very short time. I wish to raise questions about several aspects of that matter.
Do Members wish to go through the report on Mergers or will they accept it as it stands? It deals with the type of mergers that are very rare in Ireland.
Practically non-existent.
Yes. It does not really concern us very much in this country. We can accept the Mergers Regulation and hold back on the Concentrations one to allow Members time to go into it more deeply and get back to it again.
Clearly this will require a re-drafting of the introduction to the Concentrations Regulation.
Perhaps that could be taken care of.
I think it merely involves a revision of the first paragraph. I move:
" To delete ‘ two proposals ' in the first line and substitute ‘ the proposal ', to delete ‘ which are ' in the second line, to delete ‘ These are ' in the third line and substitute ‘ viz ' and to delete all words after ‘"Mergers Directive "' to the end of the paragraph."