Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

——and a European election in 2009 will place extra financial burdens on the commission, for which the funding allocation provided for in the Bill will also cater. One item to note in the Bill is in section 3, where the functions of the commission are expanded to include the provision of translation services in respect of Acts of the Oireachtas. It is appropriate that the commission should have this function and it is taken into account in the funding to be provided.

The Bill also includes some minor amendments to a number of sections of the 2003 Act. In most cases their purpose is to provide clarification of functions or procedures where this has been considered desirable in the interests of full clarity and transparency.

I commend this Bill to the House. It will enable the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to continue with its excellent work which, as Members on all sides will agree, has proven to be of great benefit to parliamentarians of both Houses over the past three years.

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