Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We will not object to the passing of this Bill. As the Minister of State has outlined, it is a necessary piece of housekeeping that must be undertaken before the end of the year. It is the second last day of the Dáil term. I know some people will be critical of the Bill being presented so late but I understand completely why we have had to wait until all the Supplementary Estimates have gone before and been voted on by the relevant committees and sent back to the House for approval, which I believe only finished last week, so we will not be delaying the passage of this Bill. We may disagree about how some of the money is spent and there are differences between my party and the Government regarding some areas of priority, but as the Minister of State pointed out, it is a piece of housekeeping that must be done and we will facilitate its passage as quickly as possible.

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