Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

I wish to share time with Deputies Tom Hayes and David Stanton.

What the Minister of State, Deputy Dick Roche, stated about the evolution of quangos was interesting. It is a great pity that proper reform of Government and quangos was not included in the budget. Ultimately, the party in power can determine that.

I will deal quickly with my experience of the House. The Order of Business is a crazy system under which Deputies raise issues that they really should not, but it is the only mechanism available to them. I take issue with taking Adjournment debates by candle light, almost at midnight, on issues which are often of considerable importance to the Deputies' constituents. We need to reform the way the Dáil functions.

I also take issue with the guillotining of debates. In many cases, the important amendments are at the end of the amendment listing and are never debated. That is not only about guillotining the debates, but also about the way we structure Committee Stage in terms of how we group amendments and the order in which we take them. Certainly, there were significant areas of the NAMA legislation that were never properly subject to debate or the scrutiny of the House.

What is required here is the amendment tabled by Deputy Bruton. It is all very well to put the audit committee on a statutory basis, but it is also about what one is auditing. If the plan and structures are not in place as to the way money is allocated and if what one is auditing is not correctly set up on day one, then the audit function does not serve its purpose. That is why Deputy Bruton outlined in the amendment that money would be provided for ten months. In summary, the opportunity is here to provide for proper reform. We need to ensure that this House represents the interests of the people properly.

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