Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

Deputy O'Shea's amendment is laudable in that it seeks to have the principles of the Freedom of Information Act applied to the Bill from the date it is passed, even though the Act has been gutted by a Government which does not value the principle of making information available to all citizens in the same way as many of us.

A more essential point is whether this Bill is amendable in any way, with all due respect to the amendments that have been tabled on Report Stage and the work that has already been done on Committee Stage. Much like the Disability Bill, this Bill has no support outside the Chamber because its purpose does not further the public good. The only reason for passing the Bill in its current form, even with amendments of this type, is to initiate a political slush fund. We have witnessed the creation of this type of slush fund with the original use of national lottery funds. None of us on this side of the House and, I believe many outside the House, wishes to see a return of those days.

It is also unfortunate that in terms of the legislative cycle and the life of the 29th Dáil, the Bill will come into practice as the electoral cycle reaches its zenith with the general election for the 30th Dáil. It must be placed on record that this Bill exists for no other purpose than to bolster the Government's badly needed case for credibility with the electorate during this election. I also fear that the lack of controls we have witnessed in the past with discretionary funds, which could be politically used by a member of the Cabinet, has tended or sought to benefit the Government in the long term. There is also the danger that because the fund is so concentrated with one Minister, irrespective of the current incumbent as it will apply to all future holders of the office, there will be an imbalance in terms of how the funds are distributed between constituencies.

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