Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

Certain things should be the subject of parliamentary scrutiny and others need not be. The Bill differentiates between the two and provides, in some cases, that there will be parliamentary scrutiny and, in others, that there will not. That is a practical and reasonable way to approach this issue. It is not something about which the House must be informed every time there is a minute change in the internal regulation of the Garda.

I wish to be associated with the Ceann Comhairle's remarks about the Bills Office. It works extremely hard to serve the House and at times we impose difficult workloads on that office. I am conscious of that but I have no control over the order in which pieces of paper come to this House, no more than Deputy Ó Snodaigh had control over the sheet of paper on which his material appeared. These matters are decided by the House through the Bills Office, not by me.

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