Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform
Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 11 - Public Expenditure and Reform (Revised)
Vote 12 - Superannuation and Retired Allowances (Revised)
Vote 14 - State Laboratory (Revised)
Vote 15 - Secret Service (Revised)
Vote 16 - Valuation Office (Revised)
Vote 17 - Public Appointments Service (Revised)
Vote 18 - Shared Services (Revised)
Vote 19 - Office of the Ombudsman (Revised)
Vote 39 - Office of Government Procurement (Revised)
2:00 pm
Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source
I hope the regulator is listening or will get for his information a copy of the exchange we have had with the Minister on the Office of the National Lottery Regulator. While I will move on, I am not happy with the answer the Minister gave me. He says the regulator has asked for a report, but that is looking for a report on a horse after it has bolted. If a regulator is to be of any use, a clear line must be drawn between his office and the bodies he regulates. It appears from the Minister's answer that the regulated bodies did what they liked and told nobody. I do not know whether they informed the regulator and whether they had the authority to cancel the draw without the regulator's approval.
The idea of asking for a report when it is all over shows the regulator's role is possibly very minor. If the regulator is to be taken seriously, operators need to operate in fear of the regulator so that they will not want to cross the regulator. If they do not fear crossing the regulator, it means the regulator does not have much power.
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