(1) Subject to subsection (4), the Minister shall advance to the Authority, out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas, such amount as the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, determines is necessary to fund the future operational costs of the Authority in accordance with section 40(1).

(2) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), the Minister may, on the receipt of a request from the Authority under section 40(3), advance to the Authority, out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas, such amount as the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, considers appropriate in the circumstances to fund, either in whole or in part, a deficit referred to in that provision.

(3) The Minister shall, in considering whether it is appropriate to fund a deficit, in whole or in part, in accordance with subsection (2), have regard to the ability of the Authority to draw on any reserve it may have in place to meet the deficit.