Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 23:

In page 12, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following subsection:

"(4) A report produced under this section shall be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas not later than 31 May in each year.".

Under section 10 a report on the performance of a contractor must be supplied to the Minister by 31 March each year. This is an important document, particularly in terms of guaranteeing transparency and best practice. It is logical that it should also be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. Unfortunately, the Bill makes no provision for such sharing of information between the Department and the Oireachtas. This amendment would ensure not only that the report would be laid before the Houses but also that it would be done in a timely fashion, permitting scrutiny of and debate on the matter.