Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

I heard what the Minister of State said, but everything must be approved by Cabinet. That was the corrupt element brought into this, that where once there was an independent board, now the Government will decide. The Minister of State can put all the window dressing he likes around this, but at the end of the day it is the Cabinet, not the civil servants, advisers or whoever, that will make all the decisions.

The Minister of State has not confirmed to me when it is proposed that the next advertisement will be placed seeking applications and when, subsequently, it is proposed that allocations will be made. Nothing he stated disabuses me of the idea that we are looking at a slush fund. The Minister can grin and laugh all he likes, but let us come back here in a year and see what exactly has happened.

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