Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I have heard Senator Bannon make some caustic comments about the fact that he could not find it either. Perhaps we are slow on the uptake but where these local authorities are awash with money I should like to know where it is kept. If they were awash with money, which is not being spent, could it not in the meantime be used for initiatives parallel to what the Minister of State proposes?

The Bill is creative, novel and worthy of all our support. I am sure there will be flaws and problems but if nothing is done mistakes will never be made. This is worth doing. We will all be keen to see how it works. Will it breathe new life into tired streets and new places?

If it is managed to put things in place under a BID scheme that creates more maintenance costs for the local authority. Is that an issue or is there an overlap? What happens if things are done the local authority would have been happening in other places? Is there duplication or replication? In terms of the list of things the Minister of State has mentioned, ranging from cleansing, promotions, special events, street cleaning, the provision of street furniture and signage, these are all matters the local authority would be doing to some extent.

The Minister of State has not explained in his speech and I do not see in the Bill where that replication is being dealt with. In the meantime I compliment the Minister of State and his officials for bring the legislation forward. It is novel and worth a try.