Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim míle buíochas le Mr. Fraser for appearing before the committee; it is appreciated.

There are a number of major questions relating to this issue. Those questions are as follows. Who makes the decisions within the State? For whom are the decisions made in the State? There is a strong feeling among the general public that there is an inversion of the democratic authority in this State. There is concern that the decisions are being made by unelected people without the necessary democratic oversight by the elected individuals in the State. The second element of that question is that there is also a group of people close to Government, who may be insiders and who may have a different experience of how they are treated by comparison with the general public. For most members of the general public who want to go for a job such as this, they need to take part in an open competition. I do not know any member of the public who would be able to sit down and have a job designed for them personally, with a budget of this amount paid by the State. That experience is not shared by the vast majority of people in the country.

There are two big questions here. This is not the first time we have seen this in the context of the Government. It is the latest in a long list of similar occurrences. The Zappone affair was another example of it in recent times. There is so much power vested in those who are unelected that many people feel what is happening makes "Yes, Prime Minister" looks like a documentary. It is absolutely outrageous that any civil servant would refuse to appear before the committee to answer questions on their actions. These are the elected representatives of the people who are tasked to hold the State to account. There is no accountability when we cannot ask questions and have them responded to.

In Mr. Fraser's view, is this particular role unique? Can he give another example of a similar role?