Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

It is agreed but our passing of the Appropriation Bill for the fifth year in a row without debate shows the poverty of the standards of scrutiny of public spending that have been established within this House. The reforms pressed by the Committee of Public Accounts should be taken on board by the Government. The process has become meaningless because the Bill is never debated in any shape or form. We need more meaningful systems in the House for achieving good value from public spending.

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