Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

The Bill has not been rushed. It was published last June and, if memory serves me right, was taken in the Seanad in July on the last day of term. Senator Ryan asked me to recommit the Bill in the autumn and I agreed. We went back and gave it as much time in the Seanad as the Senators wanted. Nobody could accuse me of hurrying it through the Dáil. It has taken 11 months to go through the two Houses of the Oireachtas. This is not rushed legislation.

I would like to clarify the issue raised by Deputy Neville. Everything done by the dormant accounts board has been done under the current legislation which the Deputy is trying to maintain. The board has been absolutely independent in its decision-making. However, I have powers to give general directions. For any expenditure of more than €350,000, the board must get the consent of the Minister, which I have given. However, at one stage I raised a legitimate concern which should be addressed by the new arrangements. If much of the money is spent on projects that need current funding, it is pointless starting something lasting two years without having a reasonable expectation that when the dormant accounts money runs out, someone else will pick up the tab and continue the programme. The board had €60 million. If it decided to expend €40 million on programmes that would continue, it was important to draw attention to the need to ensure sustainability in such projects. I am sure the Deputy will agree with me on the problem of pilot projects starting for two years. When a programme needs to be sustained over the long term, we must avoid establishing it with short-term funding and leaving it to chance as to how it will be funded in the long term. We should only start to fund such projects if they have a reasonable expectation of receiving long-term funding. While I am guessing, I imagine this might have been the basis for the decision in the case of the project mentioned by the Deputy.

See this speech in context