Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Fraser made a very good comment in terms of keeping an eye on costs but remembering that people are also very important. It was Mr. Justice Hamilton who a long time ago said that if questions put in the Dáil had been answered, we would not have needed the beef tribunal at the time. Certainly, in my limited experience of two years, if questions were put and answered properly, we would not need tribunals or commissions of investigation. I now want to focus on the State Claims Agency, the role of which Mr. Fraser kindly outlined. I asked in the Dáil on Tuesday how many cases other than that of Ms Vicky Phelan were with that agency but I got no answer. That is one very practical example from Tuesday last. Mr. Fraser might say that he is not here to answer those questions but he is, in fact. It is all about governance structures - either they are in place and are not operating properly or they are not in place at all. I specifically asked about the State Claims Agency and the reporting mechanism therein. Subject to checking the record, I think I was told it was an independent body. There has to be a learning mechanism. It is fine to give an organisation independence in terms of cases but there has to be a report-back mechanism in place. What reporting mechanism is in place for reporting back to the Department? Mr. Fraser made reference to quarterly reports. Is that correct?