John Gilroy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

To be helpful, as I always am, the two questions we must ask ourselves about the amendment are: is the information required available and is the information required publicly available? The answer to both questions must be yes because we are dealing with public money. I can see what Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill is seeking in tabling the amendment. I sympathise with him 100% in his dealings with the HSE, but he has not compared like with like. It is wrong to compare the HSE with anything else in the world, especially when one seeks information. The amendment is unnecessary because the information is publicly available. Making it statutory for the new utility to make the information available would mean that the same could apply to CIE, Aer Lingus and Bus Éireann. There is no statutory requirement to compel these organisations to make their accounts publicly available. Their accounts are publicly available and easy to follow for those who know how to read them.