Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

Let us be clear about this. No more than I could tell the Secretary General to write a cheque for this or that could I ask or direct him to exercise his functions under this proposed section in a manner which was in bad faith, because he has an independent role as an Accounting Officer under statute.

If one takes the view that the Secretary General of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform would act in bad faith at the instigation of the Minister or the Government, one might as well say there is no point having a Committee of Public Accounts or a Comptroller and Auditor General because he should, in similar circumstances, as Accounting Officer, write a cheque for any proposal to satisfy me or my political aims.

See this speech in context