Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 34:

In page 40, to delete lines 8 to 18 and substitute the following:

"(7) (a) The Authority shall be required to bring an estimate before each House of the Oireachtas and get approval from the Minister for Finance for such an estimate before the beginning of each financial year.

(b) Approval of the Minister of Finance and the Houses of Oireachtas will be required for the estimate of expenditure for the financial year, before any levy orders are constructed or made.

(c) The detail of a levy order shall require the approval of the Minister for Finance.

(d) A request shall be made available to the Joint Oireachtas Committee at least once every two years on the levy order mechanism being adopted by the authority and the multi-annual budgeting in place for the Authority.".

I do not accept the Minister's assertion to the effect that section 37 covers the issue of a requirement for estimates of income and expenditure. It does not make sense to separate a presentation of estimates to the Minister from the raising of a levy. Surely it would make sense to link the two. In other words, the estimates would be presented, the Minister and Government would be persuaded that they represent value for money and then the money could be raised. This would be better than putting in place a levy-raising procedure that would be entirely independent of the discussion on the estimates that would take place in September each year.

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