Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

On behalf of the Fine Gael Party, I welcome the Bill. When the original legislation was brought to the House in 1999, following the multi-party talks and the conclusion of the Good Friday Agreement, there was cross-party support for the Government's initiative. That cross-party agreement remains in place in the context of this legislation, which effectively extends the funding the State is making available for this programme.

However, the decision to extend the funding was taken by the Government in 2007. In other words, it has taken three years to bring an amendment to the original legislation before the House. That says much about the dearth of progress made by the Department of Education and Science in legislative matters.

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