Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

A similar degree of accountability cannot be associated with Oireachtas committees. It depends on how the committee in question operates. Some Ministers see Oireachtas committees as appendages of their Departments. We have had that experience in the past. Oireachtas committees are part of Parliament and as parliamentary bodies, their role is to safeguard the interests of the public and, ultimately, the Minister. Deputy O'Dowd's amendment is much better than the Minister's amendment. It gives the Minister short and succinct instructions. Having received the draft strategy, the Minister's options will be to:

(a) approve the draft,

(b) approve it with modifications,

(c) instruct that it be resubmitted to him or her in a modified form for approval, or

(d) refuse to approve it.

Amendment No. 15 goes on to make it clear that in all cases "the Minister shall present the draft transport strategy to a Committee of the Oireachtas for approval". It sets out its intention in a more precise manner than the Minister's amendment. I know this matter was discussed previously. The Minister's amendment represents an attempt to alleviate the concerns that have been expressed previously by Deputy O'Dowd. The Deputy's amendment is better because it is more concise. It anticipates to a greater extent where responsibility is most likely to begin and end if there is a major tragedy. I hope such a thing will not happen. Will the relevant Oireachtas committee deal with it? No, it will not. The Minister will deal with it in the House, where it is supposed to be dealt with.

This issue has arisen on many occasions in the past. I believe the relevant committee is important. We accept the frailties of Ministers in terms of making time available etc. I presume Ministers attend committee meetings wherever possible. However, business is conducted on a daily basis in the House. The four-week period provided for in this legislation could expire during the holidays and the committee would be able to do little or nothing in such circumstances. I ask the Minister to re-examine the possibility of accepting Deputy O'Dowd's important amendment, the contents of which were discussed previously. I do not want to delay the House this evening. The amendment reiterates the eminence of ministerial responsibility, from which ministerial accountability to the House automatically follows.

Unfortunately and tragically, there has been a tendency in recent times to avoid issues that are deemed to be the responsibility of some external agency. That has been evident in responses to parliamentary questions. It seems that it is part and parcel of Government policy. Nobody ever refers to any given matter as being the responsibility of the Joint Committee on Transport. The Minister will say from now on that certain matters are the responsibility of the Dublin transport authority. It is right that the committee can discuss various matters — it can debate amendments to legislation etc. — but it does not have specific responsibilities of this nature. I ask the Minister to consider whether he can accept this amendment.

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