Liam Fitzgerald (Fianna Fail)

I expressed some views on the question of the consent of the Minister for Finance in my contribution on Second Stage. Article 17 of the Constitution requires that the Government be accountable to the Oireachtas for all moneys spent. It has always been the function of the Minister for Finance to organise Government expenditure.

The logic of one of Senator O'Toole's proposals would be for the Minister of Education and Science to have his own Appropriation Act.