Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

Appropriation Bills pass through the Dáil - I presume they appear in the Seanad as well - whereby sums of money are appropriated every year for the provision of services and the payment of wages, yet we never debate them. This section enables us to have such a debate. Regardless of which side of the argument one is on, the sum of €11.1454 billion is staggering. The section authorises the Government to pay that amount. We are in favour of it, as the sum must be provided in the overall context, but the significance of the section is worth noting and we must consider it carefully. Although some of us disagree on the topic, this debate is worthwhile. The section calls to mind the Appropriation Acts which have been passed without any debate whatsoever for a long time. In opposition, Fine Gael criticised our Government for that process. No one denies that is what we did every year. Given the starkness of the figures, genuine debates would be worthwhile.