Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Bill is somewhat different from what which was originally signalled. We had been led to believe the Bill would deal only with the so-called pension levy. It has been considerably widened and includes provisions for changes in the early childhood supplement, the farm waste management scheme and other matters. The Long Title is also exceptionally wide. The word "whereas" is used six times, which considerably widens the scope of the legislation compared with what was originally signalled to us. Will this be the final version of the Bill to be enacted? Has the Government plans to introduce amendments on Committee or Report Stages?

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