Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

The Government is committed to ensuring the new dormant accounts board is enabled to fulfil its role as an independent planner and critical appraiser, and the responsibilities set out for it in this Bill demonstrate the Government's commitment to a structured, transparent and effective board. Furthermore, the Government has provided for a range of rigorous measures in the Bill to secure transparency and accessibility by ensuring decisions on the fund are informed by the public interest, accessible to public application and fully subject to public scrutiny.