Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

The money from the insurance fund turned out to be less than what some people were forecasting. People are claiming back money and from now on the money that comes in will not be as old, so to speak. There is a possibility that more of it will be claimed back. A total of €30 million was allocated and decisions on 58 applications have been made to date, totalling €6.4 million.

On Senator Daly's point, applications closed on 9 March and the board is of the view currently that if it were to award funding to all the applications received it might need €300 million rather than €30 million, but applications are always over-stated. The additional €30 million awarded by the Government last week was to allow it to adequately process all the applications received and to make awards in that respect. That €60 million will allow all the applications received up to the closing date in March to be addressed. If this new legislation goes through and the arrangements are changed, that will be the next amount of money, but €60 million has been allocated to the existing system.

The figure is higher than was originally set out and if people envisage problems arising there are very good reasons, in terms of governance and public policy, that changes are necessary. A situation cannot be allowed where a part-time chairman is legally responsible to the Committee of Public Accounts for expenditure of that level. That is just not done. Otherwise it will drift on for a few years until a problem arises suddenly and we are all in the manure business, so to speak. It is the responsibility of Government to make appropriate changes at this stage and to use the existing proper procedures. Somebody said earlier that all wisdom is not in Departments or public bodies. It may not be but there is a great deal of knowledge and expertise there and to ignore all that——