Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

In my view, we have a fair balance. The day-to-day running of the fund will be subject to a plan prepared by an independent board. The Government will use the machinery of State to operate the dispersal on a day-to-day basis and will be accountable to the board, which will give its opinion on how the money was spent at the end of each year. That is the best of both worlds. There is democratic accountability because the Government is accountable to the House in everything it does and there is an independent board that proposes the plan, decides on which broad sections money is spent and will effectively audit performance.

I travel the country extensively and disagree with the Deputy that people do not wish to see change in how the fund is operated. I say this notwithstanding that no fault lies with the board and the mechanism it uses, rather with its lack of access to all the structures we have established. Nonetheless, I guarantee the Deputy that if he asks the implementation team in each RAPID area, its members would say they want the dispersals in their locality referenced to the plans they have drawn up rather than applications being accepted from every group that applies.

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