Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses and the opportunity to engage with them. What I have to say is very brief and a little ironic. I welcome the fact Senator Mac Lochlainn has highlighted the overemphasis on bureaucracy down through the entire system. It brought back to my mind a conversation I had with a public official who was dealing with an application with which I was involved. I queried the amount of bureaucracy involved and how far-fetched some of it was, and the answer and the reason I was given was, "We can be audited by Europe at any time." He was overemphasising his need to cross the t's and dot the i's. It seems to me, having heard the ECA's report this morning, that there is something of a vicious circle in this regard. While the ECA does not want that overemphasis on the bureaucracy, the paperwork, etc., its perceived iron fist may be causing it to an extent with people on the ground. It is something of a vicious circle and a contradiction.