Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I tabled the amendment knowing that it was likely to be ruled out of order but I thought I had done my best on Second Stage to make an impassioned plea to the Minister. I had hoped that I would see a similar amendment in her name because it is not often in this House that one sees a consensus view, such as we saw even from the Deputies behind the Minister on this matter.

I said that I come with a degree of experience in the notion of hypothecated taxes and the notion of anything ringfenced is anathema to the denizens of Merrion Street. We understand that. I thought, however, that the Minister in her new powerful role would be able to amble down Merrion Street and talk to the inhabitants therein and win a view that it would be a really social good that goods seized by criminals in the most deprived areas would be deployed to the benefit of those areas. That is a reasonable proposition. It is not a general proposition that would apply in terms of ringfenced taxes or ringfenced seizures to be used for particular purposes. In this instance, many passionate arguments were made across all these benches that this is a good idea, that the proceeds of any moneys seized under these provisions would be used for the benefit of the social development of persons from communities suffering from economic and social disadvantage. That would be a really good thing to do. In the context of breaking out of the norms of other Dáileanna, it is something the Minister could have acceded to. I was disappointed that I did not see an amendment in her name mirroring the sentiments at least of the one that had been argued for by Deputies.

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