Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have no difficulty with anybody doing a report on it yet. I think one of the committees in question is the Business Committee. I understood that the Business Committee sets the business for the House and determines that there will be statements on X on such a day and on Y on such a day, that this speaker will have two minutes and lead spokespeople will have ten minutes etc. so I wonder what remit it has in procuring a report on the Committee of Public Accounts and what terms of reference were laid out on that? I know the Committee on Procedures and Privileges may have a remit in that regard but as a committee we are entitled to know what is going on, what terms of reference are being used, who prepared the report and what is the modus operandihere. That is an aside and I am finished with that issue.

On lead speakers, let there be one rule or let there not be one rule and if it is turned about it is turned about or if we can express that we want to lead then tell us we can do so because I was phoned and told I was in on 7 March and I notice that I am not here now. I do not particularly have a problem with that but we should decide what we are doing and stick to it because we do not want the perception that lead speakers are being managed. I could be forgiven for thinking that might be the case.