Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Nobody asked the Minister to do it, but he inserted in that document a provision that all new State bodies or agencies being established from November 2011 shall have a sunset clause. I pointed that out to the Minister, yet here he is setting up his first ever agency since becoming Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, and lo and behold he has not included a sunset clause. I do not know why he issues these documents, other than for public relations purposes. It is a bit disingenuous, however, to issue such documents stating how wonderful he is going to be. He says he is against quangos and that new ones should not be established. If one is to be set up, however, he stated that it shall have a sunset clause. I know he is going ahead with this one and we have different views as to whether a lottery regulator is required, but he should implement his own stated Government policy position, which is to include the sunset clause.

My amendment has been drafted to be easy on the Minister. I states: "The regulator will cease to exist at a date to be set by the Minister.” I did not say the sunset clause should be for five, ten or 15 years. I do not mind how long it is for, I just want the Minister to implement his own words.

When we discussed the children's hospital issue earlier, the Minister did not agree with the details of the amendment but he did agree with the principle. In this case, I have left the detail so open that he can insert whatever he wants regarding the sunset clause. All I am asking is for the Minister to implement the principle of his own stated personal policy as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when it comes to establishing new bodies, which is to include a sunset clause. He may tell me it will be many years away, but I do not mind what year he inserts in the clause. However, if he is not going to insert such a clause, he should withdraw the document he issued last November because it is having no real effect. If he is not even prepared to accept the principle of that document, what is the point in issuing such documents to begin with?

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