Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Most people like to hold on to the family silver, and do not like to have to dispose of their assets. The main sweetener in terms of the public acceptability of the sale of the national lottery licence, is the absolute commitment given by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform as well as the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health that a substantial part of the proceeds from the upfront payment will go to the new children's hospital.

This Bill is silent on that issue. This is the place where we must walk the walk instead of talking the talk. This is the Bill in which we must insert a section dealing with the funding of the new children's hospital. Each time the Minister has spoken on this Bill, he has mentioned the national children's hospital. If the public were satisfied that a substantial portion of the national lottery fund would be ring-fenced for the new children's hospital, many, but not everybody would say that is a good idea. People would understand the reason for the sale of the State asset.

In my amendments I propose two methods of dealing with this issue. In amendment No. 2, I have circumscribed the limitations put on amendments submitted by Opposition Members by asking the Minister to give a report, outlining how the proceeds from the national lottery will be ring-fenced for the purpose of meeting the costs of the construction of the national children's hospital. In the course of the Second Stage debate the Minister said he was considering this issue. Now that we are on Committee Stage, the time for considering the use of the funds realised by the sale of the licence is now over, I would expect to hear from the Minister his commitment to do so and have it specified in legislation. The related amendment No. 24 seeks to amend section 41, which deals with the disbursement of funds to good causes, referring in particular to sport and recreation; national culture; the Arts; health; youth and so on. I have added "the National Children’s Hospital;" to that list. If there is any substance to the talk of the Taoiseach and other Ministers, the Minister should be able to accept these amendments.

My main concern is that the main costs associated with constructing the new children's hospital will move to 2017 and 2018, depending on the environmental impact statement, planning conditions, the tendering process now that the proposed hospital on the Mater site is not now going ahead. There could have a closer match between the receipt of the funds, when the original statement was made, if the original plan had proceeded as intended. That has not now happened. I do not understand the mechanism by which the Minister can hold this fund. The Minister mentioned the G4 licences. My understanding is that the proceeds realised by G4 last year went into central funds, they did not get ring-fenced for the development of broadband in three years time. There is no other mechanism for the Minister to keep a couple of hundred million in the top drawer for the new children's hospital when it comes along in five years time. I want an assurance on the legal mechanism by which the Minister can actually say, the money that well be realised by the sale of the national lottery licence in the next 12 months can be ring-fenced and held for the national children's hospital. If it goes into the central fund it will be used to pay off the national debt at the end of the year in the end of year balance. When we come to need the money for the new children's hospital, the money that the sale will have realised will have been paid off to the international bond holders or whoever holds the Irish national debt.

Will the Minister respond to the issues I have raised? If the Minister accepts the amendment in principle, and ringfencing the proceeds or holding the money in some other mechanism for the new children hospital, will he explain how he can do that? I believe the Minister should hold this money, but I do not know how he can do that.

The fund that the regulator will hold for good causes does not specify that funds from the sale of the licence should go into that account, as this is not specified in the Bill.

I look forward to hearing the Minister's response and then I will comment further.