Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that we are in difficult times. The Minister of State who dealt with this on Second Stage has moved portfolio, given the sacking of the former Minister, Deputy Cowen. There is an urgency in passing this legislation. I did not hear anybody on the Opposition benches say so but I can speak for Sinn Féin in saying that we are willing to support the passage of the Bill. Scrutiny of the Bill and an earlier stage was waived, which was correct because the Bill is about supporting SMEs. Given that we waived such scrutiny, it means we must have proper scrutiny on Committee Stage.

I know the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is at a Cabinet meeting. However, this session does not just deal with the amendments but also with all sections. It is important and, indeed, crucial that we fully understand each and every part of the Bill given that it commits the State to being in hock for €750 million

As the Minister of State said, I appreciate that this is complex legislation. The Bill is 130 pages long and was published on Wednesday. We did not have the usual opportunities to scrutinise it through briefings with the Minister or his officials or through accepting submissions from sectors or other interested parties. We are where we are. The real question is when we are likely to hit the trigger mechanism of 60% of capital commitments from member states. What is Ireland's commitment in that regard? How is it realised in the Bill?

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