Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all the representatives here today to discuss the Bill. Concerns were raised about the content of the Bill when the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, attended the committee. There was some ambiguity surrounding what is currently required from local representatives and what is outlined in the Bill. It seemed there was no understanding that there would be an increase in capacity in some areas.

I have no specific question but I wish to make two or three points on the Bill about areas on which I am concerned. I would welcome comments from the councillors. I worked as an employee for an accountancy practice and I was a councillor. That would come under the scope of section 8. As a councillor and an employee in an office environment, one's salary would become declarable. As a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland I know that I have to make a self declaration every year but it is not based on figures that would disclose commercially sensitive information from competitor to competitor. In essence, if I was going to audit a client the travel expenses for the two or three weeks on that job would become declarable under the Act. That would present a difficulty to any employer or individual doing audits or who is seconded for work. That is ironic when one considers the content of the Bill. It would provide a significant problem.

If someone in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is doing a farm inspection does he or she have to disclose travel expenses? Where does the buck stop in that regard? I am most concerned about that measure. There is an onus on public representatives in terms of transparency when dealing with sensitive issues such as land zoning but I cannot see the logic in somebody holding down an ordinary job in the private sector being required to disclose the salary and the associated expenses. If a rep is going around selling tyres who is getting genuine travel expenses that are approved by the Revenue in terms of that private sector company's return it is beyond me why they would become declarable. The committee needs to bring those concerns to the Minister.

It makes it very difficult for politics to attract the best people. In terms of attracting good people, when I became a councillor eight or ten years ago it might have been very difficult for me to run for election while working in the private sector given that all the information relating to the firm I work for would be in the public domain. That would probably not be allowable from my perspective. The issue is very serious.