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

I agree 100% with Deputy Cullinane. We have reached a stage where the level of contempt with which Oireachtas committees in general are being treated is unacceptable. The notion of pesky politicians having the effrontery to ask questions in the public interest when it comes to the expenditure of public of public money and how that is being treated is wrong. We had correspondence from Mr. Watt, or certainly from his Department, previously stating that the Accounting Officer would decide what team he or she would bring. I had understood that this committee decides who it wants to come before it and they do so. Is that not the case? Do we not decide?