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

It comes down to the invitation thing again. There are other issues with the RSA, independent of Deputy Verona Murphy's. I mentioned one last week. When we get to the work programme, we will call them in. Let the Department's witnesses bring representatives from the RSA with them if they want. We are entitled to call the RSA in its own right, as far as I am aware. The Department will do that. They will say, "Well now, as the Deputy knows under the 2004 Act that is a matter for so and so and not me." We want to avoid that.

I know this is coming up under correspondence. In the past we wanted to talk to the chief procurement officer of the State. Imagine the Committee of Public Accounts not being able to talk to the chief procurement officer of the State. The Secretary General came in and decided he was the Accounting officer and that he was the only one answering the questions. It does not embrace the spirit of why the committee exists. I think they should be brought in.