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Dormant Accounts Fund.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 October 2004

Tuesday, 5 October 2004

Questions (48, 49)

Paul McGrath

Question:

154 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on the recent annual report of the Dormant Account Funds 2003; and the reason he intends to change the operation of the Dormant Accounts Disbursement Board. [22738/04]

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Tom Hayes

Question:

235 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he intends to withdraw the dormant fund accounts legislation before the Houses of the Oireachtas in view of the potential for the allocation of this money to be politicised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22698/04]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 154 and 235 together.

As the Deputies are aware, the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 was published in June 2004, fulfilling a commitment given by Government in December last, following its review of arrangements in regard to dormant accounts funding. At that time, the Government committed itself to maintaining an open, transparent and accountable process for dealing with applications for dormant accounts funding. These commitments have been honoured in the Bill in the following ways: the objectives of the disbursements scheme will remain unchanged; actual disbursements will continue to be within the framework of objectives and priorities set out in the dormant accounts disbursements plan; application processes for dormant accounts funding will be transparent and publicised; decisions on disbursements will be made and publicised by Government; appropriate arrangements will be put in place so that the spend from the dormant accounts fund is clearly separate and additional; and the future role of the board will focus on preparation of the disbursements plan, reviewing progress in achieving objectives and assessing the additionality and impact of spend.

As outlined and reiterated during the Second Stage debate in the Seanad, there are compelling reasons, in terms of governance and public policy, as to why this legislation is necessary. First, governance arrangements are less than adequate and there is an absence of a properly developed organisation structure. The scale of funds is such that it is not appropriate to require a part-time chairperson to assume responsibilities for such a large potential spend. It is also evident that the existing arrangements do not adequately support the focusing of spending from the fund with policy priorities debated in this House and approved by Government. If we are serious about tackling disadvantage, we must ensure that available resources are targeted in a particularly focused and sustained manner. It is for these reasons that the Government decided, in the first place, to review the arrangements regarding dormant accounts and, subsequently, agreed to bring forward the draft legislation now before the Oireachtas. It is my intention that the Bill will continue its passage through the Oireachtas and be enacted in due course.

With regard to the board's annual report, I am appreciative of the work the board has carried out to date, as documented in the report, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the board in the future.

Question No. 155 answered with QuestionNo. 147.
Question No. 156 answered with QuestionNo. 140.
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