Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I would not like to think that anything I said earlier would amount to an accusation that Members were misusing the committee system. The correction made by Deputy Olivia Mitchell that Members were not using it properly is probably more accurate and reflects what I was trying to say. There is nothing to stop members of committees ordering their business so that agencies such as the NRA or the RSA appear before them more than once or twice a year. That is entirely permissible. The legislation provides for those bodies to respond to reasonable requests from the committee.

The debate we have had underlines the point I made earlier. I went to the bother of examining a number of the recently disallowed parliamentary questions for the Department of Transport and the Marine. I will not mention Deputies by name but the questions came from all sides of the House, so I am not making a party political point. One disallowed question referred to the position regarding the progress on the development of the second stage of the N26. Others referred to the Bandon bypass, the village of Claregalway, the construction of the Slane bypass, the land acquisitions under Transport 21 and so forth. There were a whole range of questions about specific operational matters for the National Roads Authority. With all due respect to the Deputies, I do not think that is a very productive use of parliamentary time, when a Minister can be held accountable for the policies that underline the operations. I simply wish to make that point, while not wanting to be belligerent on the issue.

However, the point made by Deputies Mitchell, Ferris and Shortall regarding a lack of information on these issues is valid and one which I take very seriously. Deputy Shortall was correct when she made the point that I have not been on the Opposition side of the House for quite some time and I hope I never am again.

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