Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will address this issue on Report Stage because it is one I have been considering. I want to be sure the Bill robustly allows auditors to flag potential concerns they may have. While I stand over the Bill in terms of its provisions on annual general meetings, I wish to ensure that if an auditor wishes to flag an issue to members, he or she will not be required to resign to allow motions to be moved before he or she can do so. This issue will arise at various stages of our discussion and I will refer to it when we debate a number of other amendments. I wish to address the issue on Report Stage to ensure the voice of the auditor is heard.
Subsection (4) provides: "On the date on which the holding of an annual general meeting is dispensed with in accordance with section 84(4), any auditor or auditors appointed in accordance with subsection (2) or (3) cease to hold office and the directors shall immediately reappoint the auditor or auditors or appoint a new auditor or auditors". The provisions on auditors are very much in line with company law as this probably reflects the best practice available to us. I acknowledge Deputy Pearse Doherty's point which he also made on Second Stage that, under the Bill, it is not necessary to hold an annual general meeting. We must ensure mechanisms are available to auditors who wish to raise concerns. I will examine this issue before Report Stage.