Brendan Kenneally (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to comment on the ombudsman's report on the Lost at Sea scheme. An attempt to vilify Deputy Fahey for the way in which he introduced the scheme and for the way in which it was subsequently conducted has been ongoing for many years. Deputy Sheahan has surprised me, as he is continuing along the same lines. That is unfair because Deputy Fahey, the former Minister, has set out exactly what he did and how the scheme operated over the years. It is obvious that he acted with complete integrity throughout the affair and he has rebutted every argument made against him this afternoon. I do not know why the Opposition and Fine Gael in particular want to maintain this tack, which that party commenced.

For me, the question is where will we go from here in terms of the ombudsman and the future conduct of that office. I understand it to be the case that, in the UK, if there is a dispute between an ombudsman and a Department or so on, the matter goes before a parliamentary committee.

See this speech in context