Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I raised a question about section 4 on Second Stage and received a reply from the Minister of State. However, after investigating the matter in the Library, I continue to find it peculiar. The British-Irish Agreement Act 1999 was commenced in the name of the Taoiseach, whereas the commencement of the British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Act 1999 was a matter for the Minister for Finance. If this is a certified money Bill, it should be introduced in the Dáil, as was the case for the aforementioned Acts, because the introduction of such Bills in this House is constitutionally prohibited. We have entered strange territory when the Department of Foreign Affairs introduces a Bill and the Department of Finance decides on its commencement.

Given that the date of agreement was 25 July, I fail to see why a Bill as simple and overdue as this could not enter into force one week or one day after the President signs it. The ability of the Department of Finance to extend its tentacles into the business of everybody else is an institutional problem for this country. That Department had a role in the past in this legislation, so it insists in retaining its influence by keeping for itself the decision when the Bill should enter force. The Department is only pretending that an excuse exists for delays to the commencement of the Bill.