Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

Senators will recall that the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003 provided for the establishment of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to administer the running of the Dáil and Seanad. The commission came into being on 1 January 2004 and was provided with the funds it needed to carry out its functions for three years from that date. That initial three year period will expire on 31 December 2006. Accordingly, an amendment to the 2003 Act is required to provide the commission with a fresh injection of funds so it can continue its work for a further three years from 1 January 2007. It is for this reason that the Bill is before the House.

Senators will agree that the commission which came into being three years ago has performed its job admirably, under the able chairmanship of the Ceann Comhairle. The commission is composed of 11 members, ten of whom are Members of either the Dáil or Seanad. They include the Chairman of Dáil Éireann, the Chairman of Seanad Éireann and one Member appointed by the Minister for Finance. I have the honour of being that Member. The remaining seven — four from the Dáil and three from the Seanad — are appointed from the ordinary Members of each House. The 11th member is the Clerk of the Dáil, who is designated as the Secretary General of the commission.

In the view of the Minister for Finance, the commission is entitled to great credit for the way it has carried out its functions over the past three years. I take this opportunity, as conveyed to me by many Members, to thank the staff of the Houses for the efficient, courteous and obliging manner in which they invariably discharge their functions.

The amount proposed for the commission for the three years 2007-09 is €393 million. This figure has been agreed with the commission and represents excellent value for the taxpayer. The responsibilities of the commission include payment of the salaries and allowances of Deputies and Senators and payment of the salaries of the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas. There will be a general election in 2007 and a European election in 2009 and——