Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Amendment No. 119 concerns the chief executive of the LDA giving evidence to the Committee of Public Accounts and amendment No. 121 is about the chief executive giving evidence to all other Oireachtas committees. I am seeking to delete the provisions that bar the chief executive from questioning or expressing an opinion on the merits of any policy of the Government or a Minister when before an Oireachtas committee, which is a legal gagging order. The chief executive of the LDA will be slow to criticise the Minister or Government policy in any event. He or she will not do that as a matter of course. The provisions in the Bill would apply a legal obligation preventing him or her from being critical of or questioning policies of a Minister or the Government and curtail the work of Oireachtas committees.

It is important that differing views on housing and other matters be aired and that we get different expertise. This would help us avoid mistakes. Recently, the outgoing chief executive of the LDA articulated a view that was not in line with Government policy regarding the LDA's financing. The outgoing chief executive felt that the €2.5 billion capitalisation was insufficient. That is a valid view. If the incoming chief executive appears before the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage and we want to ask him or her for a view on this matter, the chief executive could not articulate a full view under this legislation if that view could in any way be seen to be critical of a policy of the Minister or the Government.

My amendments are important. A chief executive will be slow to criticise the Government anyway, but having a legal gagging order such as this, which prohibits him or her from giving a slightly different or critical view, is over the top and unnecessary. To avoid mistakes and ensure that we have the best possible policies and housing outcomes, it is important that different people in the housing sector, including the chief executive of the LDA, can express their legitimate views in front of Oireachtas committees without being curtailed legally. That is the basis of my amendments.