Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I pay tribute to the Senator's attention to detail, but we have consulted the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on this point and it has indicated that while it can appreciate, as can I, where the Senator is coming from with his proposed amendment, its view is that it matters little in practice because it is difficult to see how whichever word we use, be it "stand" or "stands ", can be interpreted as other than what is intended. In other words, it unambiguously refers to a situation where there is no money left in the legacy fund, no matter which word is used. While one can contend between "stand" and "stands", and I take the point the Senator is making, the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel has advised me it will make no material difference, and because of the urgency in passing this legislation to ratify the agreement, I do not propose to accept the amendment.