Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Finance

National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage

6:15 pm

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I disagree. We have looked at the position of the Committee of Public Accounts. In the previous section we dealt with the issues of the CEO and accountability for records. We know that other committees have requested individuals to attend and also that the Committee of Public Accounts has powers of compellability. It is important to include what is provided for in the amendment, although I understand what the Minister of State is saying. I do not think this is a contentious issue, given that it has been the custom and practice.

By not including it we could be making headlines somewhere because somebody did not provide for it in the legislation. The all-powerful chairperson of a committee who, with the consent of the Minister, could be given additional remuneration for his or her role and responsibility could be able to refuse the request of the Oireachtas committee to appear before it. On that basis I am pressing the amendment.

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