Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will briefly speak directly to the amendment. We have, in other areas, tried to provide the information and make the compromises where we could without tying the legislation or the proposal in the amendment, as drafted, into the legislation, because the data would not be available. It is not that we have a principle of not wanting to provide the information when we can. It is just that the advice that we are being given in this area is that we will not have the information available and it will not be possible to prepare a report until 30 June 2018. Of course if the amendment is included in next year's Finance Bill it will be possible to accept it.

On Deputy McGrath's point, we agree it should be looked at - of course we do. It is a question of ensuring we have the information at the right time so when we look at it we can have a meaningful conversation around it. According to the advice we received, if we put this amendment into the legislation we would not be able to meet the requirement.

See this speech in context