Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

That is true, but the Government decided, for the worst of reasons, that the approach would be changed, and that is essentially what Deputy McGinley and I are saying.

Calling a spade a spade, this legislation is disgraceful. It is shameful for the Government parties to bring such legislation before the Dáil. I put it very sincerely to the Minister that there is a need for a rethink regarding this legislation. I am totally opposed to it as it stands. It should either be withdrawn or changed substantially. The one issue of any real importance that must be addressed is that under the Constitution the right must be removed from the Cabinet to allocate those funds to the various areas.

I look at the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, who announced the rural social scheme in the budget before last and then told us that he would raid €10 million from the dormant accounts fund to pay for it. I understand that of the 2,500 places there are now only approximately 900. Be that as it may; I welcome the initiative of that payment. In the context of rural Ireland, we must do much more in that vein. I found it most distasteful that the fund was hardly in being when the senior Minister of the day decided he would raid it. That money should have come from Exchequer funds. It is fundamentally wrong to take money out of a fund to help launch and finance a new scheme that in the fullness of time will in any case have to be funded from the Exchequer. The alternative, though there is no indication of it, is that the Minister believes that the dormant accounts fund should continue to shell out in perpetuity to keep the scheme in question going. I re-emphasise that the scheme is desirable.

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