John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I did not get an opportunity to speak on this on Committee Stage but I strongly welcome the concept of producing a report. It is work that the committee is engaged in, as Deputy Brady said. If a report is to be produced in a meaningful way, it needs to be produced in a timely fashion so it can be analysed in advance of next year's budget.

The Minister's amendment is in two parts. The first suggests work on the report should commence within three months of the passage of this Bill and be finished within nine months of its passage. The reporting period is six months. I really do not have a problem with the six-month period for the production of the report and the research but my concern is that it could take up to three months to initiate the work on the report. While it may be in the legislation, I ask the Minister to commit that, on the passing of the Bill, the work will be commenced quickly. If the work itself takes six months, that is not the problem; the problem is the delay, or the three months it could take before beginning work on the report.

I can understand why some leeway is left in the legislation but I ask the Minister to commit to the commencement of the work as quickly possible so the report may be delivered in a timely fashion so individuals and committee members can analyse it, debate it in detail and have an impact on next year's budgetary process.

See this speech in context