Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

How the money is spent will have to be decided in the budget, and the budget is in October. The amendment calls for a report to be published two months after the enactment, which would be September. In other words, the amendment calls for a report saying how the money will be spent from the TSC a month before it is decided in the budget in October. That is the problem I have with the amendment. How the money is spent is a decision for the budget, which I cannot pre-empt. It also has to be in line with Article 17 of the EU regulation, which defines this windfall tax. We have to make sure that in all cases it is clearly defined, transparent, proportionate, non-discriminatory and verifiable. I will be consulting the energy poverty steering group but no decision has been made about it to date.