Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

It is a shame that this report, which was published by Iarnród Éireann on 10 June last at a cost of almost €500,000, never saw the Minister's desk. He did not ask for it because, like many of his colleagues, he does not hold the State companies under his remit, such as CIE, Iarnród Éireann and the National Roads Authority, to account. The hidden agenda of CIE was to use a veil of secrecy to hide this report from the Minister and the Oireachtas. If it were not for the work of Senator Ross and his Sunday Independent colleagues, we would not even know about this report.

The key question the Minister needs to answer relates to his plans to hold his State companies accountable. Over the past five or six years, more than €1.1 billion in taxpayers' money has been invested in CIE companies. The audit under discussion looks at certain aspects of the company only. Will the Minister ensure that any further audits in the possession of Iarnród Éireann or CIE, relating to any or all of their activities, are given to him and to the Members of the Oireachtas? When one considers that the word "fraud" is mentioned 17 times in this report, it is clear that public money needs to be spent in a more transparent and accountable manner. The Minister does not know about these matters because CIE is hiding the details from him. It is the taxpayer who ultimately loses in all circumstances.

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