Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

Déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall an cheist a fhreagairt. Is maith an rud é go bhfuil an díospóireacht seo ar siúl tré Ghaeilge ach níl foclóir s'agamsa maith go leor don ábhar seo.

Go raibh maith ag an tSeanadóir as an leasú a chur romhainn.

My officials have been in contact withthe Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. I am informed this is standard drafting procedure. The reference to the Local Government (Financial Provisions) Act 1978, appears once in the text of the Bill and once regarding the amendment of the Local Government (Charges) Act 2009. Normally, when two or more references to an Act are contained in the main text of a Bill, there is a definition of the Act concerned inserted into the interpretation section of the Bill.

Sa chás seo, where there are two references to the Act concerned, one is contained in the main body of the Bill and the other is for the purposes of an insertion in the Local Government (Charges) Act 2009. As such, the reference to the 1978 Act would be in two separate pieces of legislation.

I am informed by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel that from a drafting point of view, inserting a provision along the lines suggested would indicate to a reader of the legislation that there is another reference to the 1978 Act in the main body of the Bill. Ní féidir liom de thairbhe na comhairle sin tacú leis an rún atá molta ag an Seanadóir sa leasú seo.