Mr. Seamus McCarthy:

Two things are relevant. There is an agreement between us and the Local Government Audit Service that we will look for areas in which we can co-operate in order that we can bridge any accountability hiatus. Obviously, however, we have to work within our existing legislative remit. It could be a situation where we run a joint audit process whereby the service does the work on the ground in the local authorities and we examine the national issues. It is envisaged in the proposals on the reform of local government that a national oversight committee will be established to examine the more systemic issues relating to the business of local government. That is not something in which I will have a role. I am not up to date on how the proposal is being developed and whether it is provided for in the Bill. To a certain extent, we need to sit back and wait to see what is put in place and how it will be operationalised.