Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

It minimises spending on administration and maximises funding for those who need it most. For this reason, the Government has decided against setting up a new organisation. Instead, the Bill provides that the Government will in future decide on disbursements from the fund, but following a public application process and within a framework of transparency and process set out in law.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the Dormant Accounts Fund Disbursments Board is enabled to fulfil its role as independent planner and as critical appraiser. Reflecting this, the Bill proposes that the board will retain its responsibilities to develop a plan for disbursements of moneys from the fund and that it will review and assess the extent to which the objects of the plan have been achieved and the effectiveness of its strategies. Critically, the board is also being conferred with a new power to report on the additionality of disbursements. In this way, critical analysis of the impact of such spending on the ground will be placed on a statutory independent footing.

Given these responsibilities, it is clear that the board will have a vital role in influencing the strategies for disbursements from the fund, and in assessing the additionality and impact of spend.