Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I welcome the debate on the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2006 and related issues. I thank the members of the commission, many of whom have made a valuable contribution, for their work. The commission is a classic example of public service at its best, which is something we appreciate and should support. I share some of Deputy Boyle's concerns, which I will comment on later. Major issues and responsibilities are at stake in this legislation. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission has 11 members, ten of whom are Members of the Dáil or the Seanad. The Ceann Comhairle and the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad are on the commission. One member of the commission is appointed by the Minister for Finance. Four members of the commission are from the Dáil and three are from the Seanad. They are appointed by the ordinary Members of each House.

It is important to ensure that the members of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission are representative of the composition of the Houses of the Oireachtas. I support the general thrust of the Bill and I commend the work of the commission. I accept the points which were made by Deputy Boyle about this issue. Deputies from the major groups in this House should wake up to the reality that the Technical Group in the Dáil represents between 21% and 22% of the voting public, according to figures from recent opinion polls. We have to accept the reality that such people have a right to be represented in all facets of public life. It is important for the larger parties to deal with this issue head-on by accepting their responsibilities. If one is interested in democracy, one should ensure that the voices of Deputies who represent between 21% and 22% of the public are heard strongly.

It has been proposed that €393 million be allocated to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission for the 2007-09 period. The Minister of State mentioned earlier that this figure has been agreed with the commission. I welcome the proposed allocation because it represents excellent value for the taxpayer, as the Minister of State said. Value for money is something of which we should always be conscious. It is all very well to say that the €393 million in question is excellent value — I agree — but that does not mean we should not be constantly vigilant when taxpayers' money is being spent. The issue of accountability was raised again recently. When we talk about democracy, it is important that we also talk about accountability, which is lacking in many areas of public life and society in general.

This legislation provides that the responsibilities of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission include paying the salaries and allowances of Deputies and Senators and paying the salaries of the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas. While we should be open-minded about such matters, we should also ensure that there is accountability in this regard. It is not acceptable for public money to be squandered by other Departments, which is something that arises in other debates in this House. An investigation can be demanded when the principal of small and disadvantaged inner city school finds that the school's budget has been exceeded by €200 or €300. The reality is that Members of the Oireachtas have a duty to be accountable and to ensure that public funds are not wasted. When we are talking about public money, we should think about matters like the Dublin Port tunnel, which is the subject of a great deal of hype at present because it is due to open next week. The tunnel ran €250 million over its budget. Many roads projects have run up to 86% over budget. Such over-runs should be challenged because they involve taxpayers' money.

See this speech in context