Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I find that difficult to comprehend. This process has already started, the company has been engaged and the Minister is recruiting another company for additional scrutiny, which I welcome. It is 19 May and we have June, July and into August for this to take shape. I do not understand why the Minister suggests this work will never be done until the results are out. I find that very difficult to comprehend.

Surely, there has to come a point where those who are responsible for drafting the formula, and who have given as much consideration as possible to all the different factors, are able to say they are satisfied with it and confident in it. As the Minister is holding on to this until the very last minute to ensure error does not arise, if anything, publication would potentially identify error at an earlier stage because it would be the subject of public scrutiny. It is with the intention of avoiding last year's difficulties that I am urging transparency in this regard. I am not saying it has to be out next week but it should be out before the results. There is no good reason not to publish it before the results day. What particularly happens on the results day? Obviously, the results come out but no changes can be made to it. Surely, if there are errors, we want those changes to be made and we want that to be spotted. If it is going to be kept under wraps until the last minute, that is not going to happen.

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