Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

My party colleague who deals with this portfolio, Deputy Seán Crowe, is unavailable. I am standing in for him. There have not been so many republicans since Easter Week 1916 or perhaps 1918. It is great to see so many declaring themselves republicans now.

I support the amendment. I find it strange that many important Bills cannot be brought forward because there is such pressure on the legislative schedule, yet this Bill can be dealt with. I find that amazing, particularly when the current structures in place for dealing with funds are satisfactory. There is always room for improvement in the bodies concerned but nobody in the House has demanded change. In that context, I find it bizarre that the way was cleared to rush this legislation through.

Clearly, the Minister is taking more power into his hands. The final decision in the disbursement of funding will be at his discretion. According to the Bill, he will have to have regard for the plan for disbursement presented annually by the board. One has regard for all sorts of matters on a daily basis but that does not mean one must take heed of them. In this case, the Minister will not have to pay any attention to the plan presented by the board. That is not a personal criticism of him but a fact of life in respect of any Minister. At this stage some 90% of the Cabinet are Progressive Democrat Thatcherites. This is the type of person against whom we need to protect the public. We need to make sure there is transparency. The current body has more of that quality than what is proposed.

I have a major problem with the composition of the proposed board. There is no provision for the community and voluntary sector. Each member will be a ministerial appointee. Some Ministers may choose to appoint people——

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