Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As a former member, the benefit of the Committee of Public Accounts is that it does not get into political debates on policy. It looks at the money and asks whether public money was spent appropriately and if value for money was achieved. It has been the long-standing practice for the committee to take off the policy and political hats to have a proper interrogation of the finances. While it might appear to be unduly cumbersome to some outside to have a regulator appear before the Committee of Public Accounts to answer questions about the finances and before this committee to answer questions about policy, that is the established practice. I am not sure to what extent it is enshrined in the Constitution, but the Committee of Public Accounts has special standing in it, as the Deputy knows. I would, therefore, be very reluctant to set a precedent with this Bill that might undermine the Committee of Public Accounts.