Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Regulatory bodies seem to have acquired a status that allows them to make decisions that cause serious damage to customers. I refer the customers of airports and energy companies, for example. These bodies operate in a secret world. The relevant parent Departments have long since given up trying to control them. I think the OECD referred to this phenomenon as regulatory capture. Can the regulators be included? They should be required to put the rationale for their decisions before the public.

Another benefit of these proposals is that they will lead to more openness. It is remarkable that elsewhere in these Houses today, the bishops who used to run the country by remote control are having to come in and talk to Deputies and Senators. Such openness is wonderful for the democracy of this country. Those who use so much energy trying to keep things secret and so much time trying to cover things up should have a great deal of more interesting work to do. I am sure many Members of the Seanad will support the cultural change the Minister is seeking to achieve. The requirement to cover up what is being done, rather than disclosing it to citizens, is an amazing cultural inheritance. I do not think it has done the country much good. The Government's legislation on lobbying and whistleblowing will complement these proposals as part of an overall package that is needed following the collapse of governance in this country between 2008 and 2010. It was not just a case of the Government collapsing - if it had been, the problem would have been solved after the 2011 general election. If the Government can bring our permanent administration with it as it tries to change the secretive aspects of the culture of that permanent administration, it will be a major achievement.