Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 23 March 2021

Public Accounts Committee

Business of Committee

9:30 am

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

There were 30 questions, but I probably have 30 questions of my own. I have no problem putting things in writing but we are all used to the parliamentary questions. A written answer will never capture what we can capture in a hearing where people can go to and fro and I can pick up where Deputy Murphy leaves off or vice versa. It can all be done quickly rather than going into the administrative merry go round where 30 questions go out and 30 answers are considered. In such cases the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers plays a part and there are articles in the newspaper. We go back at it again and again. Instead, let us get them in and schedule a two-hour session. The two-hour sessions are laughable really and it is difficult to get under the bonnet of issues in that timeframe, but we should get the SBCI representatives in and go through it. I hate the administrative merry-go-round. It is something they do in the legal world. They cannot ring each other. They have to write to each other and it is €1,500 per letter and so on. Let us get them in and throw the questions out. I hate to be at odds with you, Chairman, and I know you are trying to be helpful and we have a large agenda.

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