Kathleen Funchion: Welcomes built-in review for legislation

Kathleen Funchion spoke in favour of including a review point in the legislation and welcomed its acknowledgment at report stage. She argued reviews should be built into all legislation after a realistic period so measures can bed in and not go unchecked for years.

Review point welcomed

Kathleen Funchion welcomed the inclusion of a review point in the legislation, saying it was an important development acknowledged at report stage.

Committee and report stage

She reminded colleagues that the review issue originally came up at committee stage, where it was strongly supported, and that it was subsequently acknowledged at report stage.

Recommendation for all legislation

She stated she believed a review mechanism should be built into all legislation to ensure provisions are assessed once they have had time to operate.

Reasoning on timing

She emphasised reviews should follow a realistic period to allow measures to "bed in" and to avoid leaving provisions on for four or five years without scrutiny.