Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the clarity of the Comptroller and Auditor General in stating that, as it stands, he and his office have no remit or power to investigate matters related to IBRC. I am struck by the fact - this is my interpretation and I am not attributing this thought process to the Comptroller and Auditor General - that the Department indicated a willingness to bring forward legislation to expand the role and remit, and, by extension, the role and remit of this committee. Our experience has been, to my way of thinking over the past number of months, that, in fact, we have had our wings trimmed and a narrow remit has been very carefully observed and overseen. If there is a proposition or a willingness to extend the reach of the Comptroller and Auditor General, and, by extension, of this committee, I would find that very interesting. We should certainly have a view on that and we should seek to have an input to it.

It would seem extraordinary if the Government or the Department were proposing to bring forward legislation to allow the Comptroller and Auditor General to look only at the Siteserv transaction because, as the Chairman himself said, the concerns that have been raised are far broader than that. I support the Chairman's proposal to correspond with the Department and anyone else on all of those matters, first, to establish what is going on, and, second, to take a view as to whether, even with extended powers, the Comptroller and Auditor General is the proper and appropriate office to review, consider and conclude all of these matters.