Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

Deputies will recall that the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003 provided for the setting up of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to administer the running of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. The commission came into being on 1 January 2004 and was provided with the necessary funds to carry out its functions for three years from that date. The initial three-year period will come to an end on 31 December 2006. Accordingly, an amendment to the 2003 Act is required to provide the commission with a fresh injection of funds so that it can continue its work for a further three years from 1 January 2007. It is for this reason that the Bill is before the House.

While I am a member of the commission, it is not a self-serving utterance to say that everyone will agree that the commission has performed its job admirably.

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