John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 4, line 41, after "authority" to insert "provided that the opportunity to offer a financial package is open to competitive offer by other providers".

The amendment seeks to ensure that the sponsoring Department does not find itself restricted only to public private finance packages put together by the agency. If there are competitors who can offer better arrangements, and there is a body of experience in other European countries, we should allow them to offer their services. The agency should be solely responsible for providing financial packages for public projects and we might have the opportunity to find others who could finance packages on better terms in a more innovative manner.