Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Let me finish. I am trying to put the matter on the public record. There is a practice of Accounting Officers coming in here and bringing people with them. There have been several occasions when we named people we would like to accompany an Accounting Officer. On all such occasions previously, there was that level of co-operation and that person came but, technically, it was always at the behest of the Accounting Officer as to who he chose to bring. As already stated, I am of the view that it was disrespectful for us to hear last night that a person we had asked to come us was not going to do so. However, that is at the behest of the Accounting Officer. Paul Quinn or any other assistant secretary or senior officer is not answerable to the Committee of Public Accounts; it is only an Accounting Officer who is answerable to us. I just want to put that on the record.