Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I am talking about accountability. The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2009 provides for accountability in the docklands area and for what is going on in a company which is run by the State and paid for by the taxpayer but which is not accountable to the Comptroller and Auditor General.

An employee of the port company in Foynes accepted a tender from himself and his good wife for more than €100,000 for a boat which nobody wanted. It was amazing what went on there. We want an inquiry into that. The people are fed up with all this abuse. We want the gardaí to carry out an inquiry and if they need to go into the DDDA as well, that is where they should be.

At the heart of the political system are quangos which are not accountable to the Comptroller and Auditor General. In the absence of accountability in cases like those about which we are talking, one has significant and unacceptable abuses. I hope the principle of this Bill will apply to other companies such as Foynes and other harbour authorities which are not accountable to the Comptroller and Auditor General. We need to take a much more investigative and proactive approach to what is going on and to how taxpayers' money is being wasted in a disgraceful, shameful and unaccountable manner.

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