Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

If one goes through all the hoops and yet the Government believes it has not adhered to these criteria, one has to go back and do it correctly. The Government would want good reason for doing so.

The Government rather than the Minister makes the ultimate decision because three or four Ministers could be involved. There is no way it can be done outside the terms of the plan, as it would be illegal. If the Minister for Finance gives the say so to the disbursements board, it is the Government that controls the flow of the money. Again, we are being careful not to do what the Opposition alleges we would, by getting rid of all the money between now and 2007. We have tried to control the spend of the moneys within a reasonable timeframe. We increased the amount available to the board by €60 million at its request as it had so many applications. As the programme was a year behind schedule, it was felt to be prudent to do so. We want this to last into the indefinite future to ensure sustainability of the projects.

Senator Ryan overstates the worry. We are seeking to do what I have said we are seeking to do. I will reconsider the matter but when I thought about it previously, I could conceive of no way to amend the section cogently given the built-in safeguards. The legislation requires a public application for funds, an assessment, adherence to the criteria and the publication of results. If one were to change those requirements capriciously, one would be for the high jump.