John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I thank my constituency colleague for his generosity in sharing his time. I am delighted to have an opportunity to support the motion tabled jointly by the Fine Gael and Labour parties on the dormant accounts fund. I noted a number of excellent contributions to the debate, particularly from the Opposition side. I was struck, in particular, by the comments of Senator Ross when he affirmed his support for the motion and outlined his concerns. Having listened to the Minister of State and all the speakers on the Government side, I am not convinced in any way, shape or form that the proposed change is necessary. Nothing the Government side stated indicated any requirement to change the structure of the dormant accounts fund, as it was envisaged several months ago, in the manner described.

I was shocked to learn of the proposed changes in the past week or thereabouts. Perhaps the Minister of State lives in cloud cuckoo land, one in which Ministers do not use funds for political benefits. This practice has taken place in County Kilkenny, from where I come, and I heard other speakers outline other instances of it.

Several speakers referred to the schools building programme. Before the previous general election, a number of schools in Kilkenny were given definitive commitments by the two Fianna Fáil Party Deputies in Carlow-Kilkenny that new buildings would be constructed in the near future. The principal of one school, through its students, asked parents to support the local Fianna Fáil Party Deputy in the election because he would deliver a new school building but, lo and behold, once the election results were announced and the Fianna Fáil Party was returned to power with its poodles in the Progressive Democrats Party, nothing more was heard about the schools promised before the election.

A couple of weeks ago, I tabled a parliamentary question to the Minister for Education and Science about Wandesford Church of Ireland national school in Castlecomer, County Kilkenny, which is another of the schools promised a new building several times in recent years only to discover that there is no prospect of it materialising for a long time.

I see no cogent case in the Government's argument for removing from the independent body the final decision making power as to where these funds should be allocated. We are now seeing the establishment of another political slush fund for the Government and it should not be accepted. It is the task of the House and other bodies to ensure we do not accept this kind of practice, which most non-political people believed was a legacy of the past of which they would see no more in the future. By all indications, particularly the amendment before us, the common saying that a leopard never changes its spots certainly applies to the Fianna Fáil Party. I urge the House to support the motion.