Charlie McCreevy (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Members who spoke in this debate. I was impressed by their well-informed contributions. I hope it proves informative for those who follow the debate outside the House.

As I said on many occasions, the Bill is an important part of the Government's plan to address the country's infrastructural deficit. The Bill, when enacted, will establish a National Development Finance Agency which will endeavour to maximise value for money for the Exchequer in a number of ways, including through the identification of the optimal financing packages and the application of commercial standards as regards the evaluation of financial risk and costs for each project. The NDFA will add an important dimension to the financial advice and expertise through existing arrangements for developing infrastructure. It will not substitute or replace those arrangements.