Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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Before I question the Chairman, I should point out that I have always found him to be very fair, strong and independent in chairing meetings of this committee. I will pick up on a point made by Deputies Ross and Nash. The Chairman expressed admiration for the work of the current committee, which he described as a collective and the most important committee of the House. The Chair can be held to account by members when matters arise that impinge on the integrity and reputation of the committee. Deputy McGuinness implied in the media this week when answering questions on this topic that, regardless of what has occurred, he intends to pursue a banking inquiry and matters relating to the Dublin Docklands Development Authority and so forth. This gives the impression that, for some reason, the other members of this collective entity either have no interest in furthering these investigations or are incapable of doing so. By implying as much, the Chairman has damaged the reputation of the committee which is bigger than one man. It is not just Deputy John McGuinness but the rest of us who work in it every week. This was a negative and while it may have been an error on the part of the Chairman, it should be pointed out that the comments he made damaged the committee. I put that to him.