Vol. 470 No. 8
124 Mr. Flood asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment when legislation applicable to the credit union movement in Ireland will be published in view of the concern expressed by the Irish League of Credit Unions at the delay in the publication of such legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20097/96]
Proposals for the updating and consolidation of the body of legislation dealing with credit unions, which dates in some cases from 1893, are well advanced. The scope of the Bill has necessarily required detailed attention on the part of both my Department and the Office of the Attorney General. However, I am pleased to say that a first draft of the Bill, which involves up to 200 sections, has been received from the parliamentary draftsman, and is at present being examined in detail by my Department and the Registrar of Friendly Societies, who has overall responsibility for the regulation and supervision of credit unions. The text of the Bill will be finalised in consultation with the parliamentary draftsman in the coming weeks, after which Government approval to publish the Bill will be sought. The Credit Union Bill is my priority for legislative action, and while I am not able to give a precise date for publication at present, I assure Deputies that every effort is being made to have the Bill published during the current Dáil session.
