Dáil debates

Wednesday, 4 October 2006

 

Public Expenditure: Motion (Resumed).

7:00 pm

Photo of Seán FlemingSeán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I will clarify that. I take the Deputy's point, but if he had listened closely, I referred to the report produced by Deputy Rabbitte which specifically stated that the Oireachtas Committee on Finance and the Public Service spent more time dealing with the finance Estimates than any other committee in respect of departmental Estimates. I am talking about the other committees across the board. Our committee was the only one that made a genuine attempt to examine the Estimates. No other committee did the same.

The first thing the Opposition should do is talk to its spokesperson in terms of paying more attention to the Estimates process, rather than coming in with a motion that suggests that it is in some way the Government's fault that Opposition spokespersons across the board do not give the time they should to the Estimates process. That would be a major help.

I am pleased the Opposition is putting the focus back on economic issues. The approaching general election and the real debate will focus on those issues over the next eight or nine months and I am happy to debate them. I intend no disrespect to the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General but he is not infallible. Some members of the Committee of Public Accounts have by their actions shown that they believe he is infallible. They have an inferiority complex when it comes to dealing with the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. I am not referring to Deputy Burton——

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