Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Senator is correct that body of work will have to be done. We are giving an undertaking that it will be done so we are ready to go for 2016.

The Senator's comment on the length of time it has taken to pass the Bill is valid on one level. This is a Bill that has, for want of a better word, been hanging around since 2012. However, since I became Minister of State in July, it is also fair to say we have taken the Bill as quickly as we could. We have also provided time and space, and lengthy debate and interaction with stakeholders, which, although I do not mean this in a bad way, caused a delay in the passage of the legislation. Is the legislation we have passed as a result better than it was at the start? It is. While I take the Senator's point that it took a long time to get it through both Houses, a lot of these issues, including in regard to commercial issues in sports clubs, have been hanging around for a long time too. I believe we have provided clarity.

I am informed by the Commissioner of Valuation that he will now initiate a process of updating the valuation lists for community sports clubs and not-for-profit child care facilities that benefit from the amendment to this Bill in Schedule 4. Therefore, we will be ready to go with that from 2016.