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

Fine. If that is the legal Parliamentary Counsel's opinion, then the Minister should send him or her on a English course. What is provided for in the Bill is not plain English. We are all competent people but none of us can accept that "endorse" means "endorse or not endorse". I know that the Supreme Court often attaches a negative to an interpretation and that such can go either way.

To remove doubt, the amendment seeks the substitution of the word "endorse" with "give its opinion" so that the Bill will read that the fiscal council shall give its opinion as it considers appropriate. The council can then give a positive or negative endorsement, refuse to endorse or give its qualified or, as the case may be, glowing opinion as it considers appropriate. The use of the word "endorse" was unacceptable to us on Committee Stage. While I accept that the Minister has clarified the matter, I do not accept the plain English version of what we are being told.

See this speech in context