Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sílim go bhfuil an achainí seo iontach tábhachtach. Táimid thar a bheith buíoch don té a chur isteach é. It is an important petition, something to which we can all relate. We are all keen to see more openness and transparency in all State organisations. There are several good recommendations from the secretariat about how the Financial Services Ombudsman might be an appropriate route for this to be channelled. We should accept that recommendation and ask the Financial Services Ombudsman to report back to us on progress on that issue as well.

It is important that the Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions has a role of oversight. If we recommend that another avenue is available to a petitioners to which they can forward a petition, then they should follow that but should also report back to us in order that we see there is progress. We have made a suggestion to the effect that the petitioner make a submission to the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform. We should also ask that committee to report to us on that process and its deliberation on whether the Central Bank should be covered under the Freedom of Information Bill. That is important in this case.