Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

I join with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the Minister of State, Deputy Kitt, in wishing the Minister, Deputy O'Dea, a speedy recovery.

Two years ago the Garda Commissioner was designated the Accounting Officer for the Garda Síochána. Why should the Chief of Staff not be designated as the accounting officer for the Defence Forces? This approach was recommended by the first efficiency audit group report in 1990 and also by the Gleeson report. The former report indicated that it was a fundamental problem that the Secretary General of the Department, as Accounting Officer, was accountable for the spending of the defence Votes but was responsible neither for the actions of military staff, whose activities account for over 97% of the Vote, nor for the successful and efficient achievement of operations and military objectives. Conversely, the Chief of Staff, and Adjutant-General and the Quartermaster-General are directly answerable to the Minister for Defence for the control of some 13,000 staff and for the objectives and outputs of the Defence Forces but cannot control the budgets allocated to these outputs, which are largely under the control of the secretariat. This does not seem reasonable. Delegation is not responsibility.

Is there any indication of a change in the future? Will the Chief of Staff come to the Dáil and appear before the Committee of Public Accounts to account for the actions and expenditure of the Defence Forces? It is unfair on the Chief of Staff that he must be accountable for the actions of personnel but cannot appoint them. The Chief of Staff should be able to make critical decisions on where to spend resources within the Defence Forces, but he cannot do that. It is the role of the Secretary General. Is there any overview being taken of this in the context of the decision that was made about the Garda Commissioner, for example?

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