Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 5, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:

"(a) to establish transparent criteria for the disbursement of funds under the Dormant Accounts Acts 2001 to 2004,".

Is oth liom a rá nach ndúras é seo nuair a sheasas suas den chéad uair. Dúras leis an Aire go príobháideach é, ach ba mhaith liom é a rá go poiblí go bhfuil sé go breá a fheiscint go bhfuil sé tagtha chuige féin anois arís agus nár tharla aon damáiste fadtéarmach dó. Tá mé buíoch, agus bainimid go léir sásamh as é a fheiscint ina sheasamh agus ina fhear éifeachtach arís. I apologise for not saying that at the outset. It was an omission on my part. I am glad to see the Minister here.

The amendment is self-explanatory. I concede the Minister has made significant efforts in his amendments to make his original proposal consistent with the criteria to which he has referred today and during the last debate. I am not at all sure the criteria for disbursement should be established by the Department rather than by the board. Whatever about the power to make decisions on disbursement, I am not sure it is a good division of functions to also provide the Department with responsibility for outlining the eligibility criteria. While I am not persuaded of the fundamental merits of his case, even if one accepts the Minister's contention that the Department should be the body which makes evaluations on the basis of the criteria, it is not obvious why the establishment of criteria should not remain a function of the board.