Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

This section is closely related to the amendment which I tabled earlier regarding the Minister's willingness on behalf of the Government to buy in expertise whenever and however necessary. It is incumbent on the Government to put in place the highest standards and safeguards. Deputy Bruton's amendment is an attempt to do that in regard to short-term appointments. I hope the Minister of State will look on it favourably as it would strengthen a particularly weak aspect of this Bill.

Further questions must be asked about the future reliance on bought in expertise in regard to the Civil Service. Various Governments, particularly those since 1997, have compartmentalised the business of Government and placed it outside the remit of this House in terms of accountability. We cannot ask questions to the line Minister regarding their functions vis-À-vis various State agencies. There is a fear that we will see more of this, not alone in regard to agencies but also in regard to the work of part-time, temporary civil servants who are working on behalf of the State and will probably not be accountable even in the short tenure foreseen for them by the Minister in future. They will certainly not be accountable once their tenure has finished.

The Minister has clearly not thought through many aspects of this matter. We are entering into dangerous territory in terms of how the business of Government is conducted on a day-to-day basis by people who will not have direct responsibility and who will not have anything approaching the full accountability of elected representatives in this House. I urge the Minister to consider favourably Deputy Bruton's amendment as one small measure towards addressing this lacuna in what remains a badly flawed Bill.

See this speech in context