Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 81:

In page 7, line 17, after “1977” to insert “, THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FINANCE AGENCY ACT 2002”.

On the change of name of the Irish Vocational Education Association, IVEA, I wish to make the following comments, which are relevant at this point in order that members can co-ordinate their legislative activities and facilitate the IVEA in its transfer to its new name. Officials from the Department have been in contact with the IVEA with regard to the proposed change of name. I understand the association is currently going through an internal process to ratify a change of name to reflect the structural reform taking place in the sector overall and obviously, the name of the IVEA must reflect that change. The Department has considered this issue and has raised the matter with the drafting office. The advice of that office is that an amendment changing the reference to the IVEA to its new name cannot be made until the association has formally approved and given effect to that change. I have indicated to the IVEA that if the change of name has been formalised in time for Report Stage, for which no date has yet been set, I will bring forward an amendment to reflect that. If the renaming process has not taken place in advance of Report Stage, then it will need to await another legislative item, such as the SOLAS Bill, which is expected to be published shortly. As I indicated to members earlier, the Bill has been signed off and will be brought to the Cabinet formally by me next Tuesday and will be published. Thereafter, it is a matter of when Members take it in the House. In other words, I am not waiting for a train that is not scheduled to arrive, as hopefully this will happen within the next six weeks, as that is the envisaged timespan.

Therefore, given the current state of play on this issue, any amendment is premature at this time and unfortunately I cannot accept one. Members cannot put into statutory legislation a name that does not, as yet, have the sanction of the constituent parts that must formally sign off on it and it could be challenged accordingly. This is the reason I cannot accept such an amendment. However, the intent is that if the IVEA can come forward with a formally changed name in time for Report Stage, I certainly will do it then. If not, there is another train approaching onto which I can put it quite readily.