Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Making itself accountable for how it gives out money is what it does not like doing. The evidence is there in the amendment tabled by Senator O'Rourke. I would love to see a PD name on this amendment but there is none. This is among one of the most fatuous amendments I have read from the Government side. The last line of the amendment states: "That Seanad Éireann notes the commitment to publish lists of all successful programmes and projects". Are they not wonderful? Fianna Fáil will tell the House what it does with the money. Its members will go around the country with their slush fund and apparently, except for the fact that they put it down here, they were not planning to tell anybody about it. Fianna Fáil comes into the House with the brass neck to claim the credit for touting this money. Expenditure of this money will be announced several times and promises made to four places. Yet, when the election comes close, only one place will be chosen for funding. That is the Fianna Fáil style.