Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages
Dail Éireann — 2023-02-01
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Kathleen Funchion (SF), Carlow-Kilkenny

I do not support this group of amendments and I have a number of questions about it. The Minister stated that he outlined his intention on Committee Stage. I am open to correction but I do not remember that there was talk of a dissolution day and the scheme being dissolved. It is not a scheme that will last forever. As flawed as the scheme is, I am not comfortable that we are talking about dissolution of an office and the transfer of powers to the Minister of the day, especially if there are any outstanding claims or legal proceedings.
We often look for reviews in legislation.
If I remember correctly, on Committee Stage, one thing we agreed on was that there would be a review. Would it not be more appropriate at that point to look at how the institution or agency would be dissolved and the handling of that? I am very uncomfortable with the fact that we are talking about dissolving the agency before it is even up and running. It gives too much power to the Minister and the Department, by default, regarding deadlines. I find it difficult to talk about the technicalities of the scheme because I am fundamentally against it due to everything we have just discussed on the previous amendment. I do not support this and it should not be included in the Bill. If there needs to be, for technical or legal reasons that someone may point out to me in respect of dissolution, can it not be done when we review the legislation? Are we not saying that we will review it at a two-year stage? I will not support these amendments for that reason.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2023-02-01/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2023-02-01