Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Fleming has made this point previously and it is a valid one. He will note from the section that I have provided that "the House may, at any time before it is given the finals report request the committee to give it interim reports in writing in accordance with rules and standing orders". Therefore, it is for the House to determine in this respect. I do not want to be prescriptive and require that this be done every three months because a committee could be dealing with a module the duration of which could continue for six months or for six weeks. The committee should be able to feed in the information as it determines and the House would have the right to respond in that respect. Obviously if there is a natural termination, a date will be fixed before the natural termination. I presume the Deputy's concern in this respect would only arise in the event of there being a sudden termination of the Dáil. This matter is best left to the House. If I were to require this to be done every three months, a committee could be in the middle of a process and it would be an onerous task, or a disruptive requirement, for it to give a interim report before the end of the process. It would be better to leave it to committee to determine when interim reports should be made. Provision is contained in the section for the submission of interim reports.