John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

As I outlined on Committee Stage the impact of the proposed amendment would be to make the authority directly accountable to the Oireachtas in addition to being accountable to the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, who in turn is accountable to the Oireachtas. The further requirement that the authority give a substantive reply to any written questions submitted by Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas within seven days would impose an untold administrative burden on a very small organisation.

I indicated on Committee Stage that the best way to deal with this issue would be through the customer charter of the authority rather than specifying such matters in legislation. I see this as an organisational matter and I will recommend to the authority that it include a commitment in its customer charter to respond to all requests for information in the speediest manner possible but, in any event, not later than 15 working days, providing the information requested is available to the authority within the time specified.

I sympathise with the points made by Deputies Wall and Deenihan. In my own experience in Opposition I found statutory bodies could sometimes be quite slow in replying to Deputies' requests for information, which is not in the interests of the workings of democracy and is something about which I have the gravest reservations. In those circumstances I wish to clarify as we pass this legislation through the House that I expect the new authority to reply quickly to queries raised by Members of the House. That will have to be included in the charter and is something to which other legislation brought before this House to set up statutory bodies might well refer, at least in the course of the debate. I would be deeply disappointed if agencies under the remit of my Department did not comply with best practice. If it is the case that there are any statutory bodies under the remit of my Department which are not replying speedily, I would be grateful if Deputies could bring these matters to my attention and I will certainly take them up with the agencies concerned. In this instance, the fact there will be a customers' charter specifying that people should be responded to within a reasonable period — 15 working days if at all possible — will help considerably. In those circumstances, I ask Deputy Wall to withdraw his amendment.

Incidentally, if it is the case that we again find this body is not replying speedily and that there is procrastination, the House will return to the matter in the context of a future Bill. I understand the frustrations people feel about some statutory bodies. I always believed that such bodies within my Department's remit replied speedily and I have no evidence to the contrary. If Deputy Wall withdraws the amendment, the most appropriate way to deal with the issue would be under the charter. If that fails, the matter can be revisited on another day.

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