Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This is done elsewhere. There are models such as the one in Australia where this is done. It is a matter of having the will to do it. We do it here with the funds of suitors and the dormant accounts fund. Under the legislation, we take inactive accounts or funds of suitors, use them for a public good and if somebody subsequently says it is his or her money there is a provision for that. It does not mean that people who benefit from the funds of suitors or the dormant accounts cannot plan - of course, they can. It is a supplement for a defined and clear set of purposes. One could make the same argument about the national lottery because if people do not buy the tickets how can the delivery of services be planned? That line of argument does not hold water.

I am obviously not going to win the argument tonight but in a way it is disappointing that the first argument used by the Minister is that she wanted to get the Bill through - in other words, if the amendment were accepted she would have to go back to the Seanad. That is not a compelling reason to do something because I think there would be a consensus in the Seanad also to do this. I do not have a legitimate amendment before the House.

I hope this argument will surface again in another context and that the Tánaiste will be willing to take on people who feel that the way we have always done things in the past must be how we do things in the future on such issues.

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