Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Clare Daly's office did tremendous work on this and I pay tribute to them for that. All Bills at this stage of the process are far from perfect but that is why we have a legislative process. That is why Bills go on to the next Stage, to be discussed in detail. That is also why there is pre-legislative scrutiny. The resources on the side of the Government are enormous. David and Goliath springs to mind in the context of the resources available to the Opposition, although things are changing slowly in that area. We will have access to draftsmanship in the future. At this point, however, this is a basic Bill which contains a number of provisions. The provision relating to electronic filing has been overtaken by events, which I appreciate. The provision relating to reducing the number to three was a common theme in the submissions and is also in keeping with Europe and other countries. At the very least, if the Government is sincere about supporting co-operatives on the ground, then it should let this Bill go to Committee Stage.

Let it be teased out. Give an opportunity to the stakeholders to make their presentations to the committee. This would show real bona fides on the part of the Government. Co-operative legislation has never been discussed on the floor of the Dáil until now, 2019.

If the Minister of State thinks this is negative, he needs to refer to a dictionary. What we have done with the support of Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin is table an important Bill. We tried to take the least offensive way forward by providing for only minimum changes, with no implications for the Government. This Bill presents the Government with an opportunity to show it is behind co-operatives. I accept there are deficiencies in the Bill.

The Minister of State spoke about a lack of transparency and accountability. I, above anyone else, would never stand over a system that lessens accountability. I spend every Thursday at the Committee of Public Accounts where, week after week, we see the effect of bad governance and lack of processes. This Bill has nothing to do with that. The purpose of reducing from seven to three the number of members required to register a society brings it into line with other European countries to align it with the companies that do not have the same demands upon them. In regard to the accounts, it is an enabling provision. Regulations can be made. In regard to audited accounts, that can be included. It is one of the major requests from the various submissions because it is such an onerous task on small co-operatives.

Tá deis iontach anseo don Rialtas a chur in iúl do na comharchumainn ar an talamh go bhfuil sé taobh thiar den ghluaiseacht seo. Is deis iontach é chun cur in iúl go bhfuil sé oscailte breathnú ar an reachtaíocht seo agus leasuithe a dhéanamh ar an gcéad chéim eile atá le teacht.

In regard to the Minister of State's request that we not be negative, I do not believe any speaker tonight has been negative. We have pointed out the advantages for co-operatives on the ground and the wonderful opportunities that present, from agriculture, to recycling, to the energy we need urgently in terms of climate change.

I do not think the Minister of State is going to change his mind at this point. I ask him to look again at the positive aspects of this Bill. It has put the issue of co-operatives on the floor of the Dáil and it seeks only minimal changes. It is to be hoped it will put substantial pressure on the Government to deliver the legislation that is needed urgently. We do not need consolidating legislation. Rather, we need legislation that has a vision for co-operatives, spells out what a co-operative is, and enshrines within it the seven basic principles. We then need that legislation to be followed with regulations to roll out a competitive co-operative system on the ground that balances all of the aid and assistance being provided to Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and, to a lesser extent, Údarás na Gaeltachta. There is a need for all of this. The Government is doing this for Enterprise Ireland in the context of Brexit. Let us see it in regard to the co-operative movement that is struggling on the ground and getting much more value for money.

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