Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I was saying before the break that the reason I cannot accept this amendment is that the role of disbursement is being changed from the board to the various Departments. Therefore, the responsibility for accountability has to follow the person, group or Department that makes the disbursements. That is what makes the Deputy's amendment impossible. We checked the position during the break. A number of boards are in the same position, including the Pensions Board, the Adoption Board and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. These are three examples of statutory boards where the chairperson or chief executive is not accountable to the Committee of Public Accounts under enabling legislation. While some of those have chief executives the Dormant Accounts Board will not have a chief executive. This is the standard practice where there is no disbursement function. In that case accountability is not to the Committee of Public Accounts. In this case the disbursement role is transferring from the board to the Departments and, therefore, responsibility has to transfer to the Secretaries General. Anything else would give two heads and only one disbursement. I hope that reassures the Deputy. What we are doing has to be done if we are to allow the rest of the Bill to stand.

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