I move amendment No. 61:
In page 18, subsection (2), line 8, after "appropriate" to insert", subject to the approval of both Houses of the Oireachtas".
This amendment provides that the Minister may, by regulations, assign to the Authority such additional functions in relation to the construction or maintenance of national roads as from time to time he considers appropriate. This should have the express approval of the Oireachtas. On section 15 (1) we spoke about the Minister having powers of assigning additional functions and the same arguments that there should be limits imposed apply here. The most reasonable way to approach this, without being too inflexible, is to oppose subsection (2), but a fair compromise would be an approval mechanism in the Dáil similar to that which applies to statutory instruments and so on. I ask the Minister, who has not accepted any Opposition amendments, to show goodwill for the patience we are showing.