Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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From the very beginning there has been a very narrow read of our terms of reference. I recall that when we had a discussion with the legal services here it was conceded that it was a narrow and conservative view of what we are ordered to do.

There is a broader public interest issue here because there is a clear line of connection between section 39 bodies and funding authorities that are fully audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. It is a circuitous route, I will grant, but none the less the relationship is there. Therefore, we must do everything we can to assert our authority in this situation and, more important, ensure we can complete what is an ongoing and live set of investigations under way by this committee.