Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

The point has been made that the range of issues to be covered by the committees is such that, even aside from the issue of accountability which is critical, the capacity of them to act efficiently and really deal with the issues at hand is compromised. We object to the fact that these matters are to be decided without debate.

I want to raise in particular the issue of the Committee of Public Accounts. I acknowledge that the Chair of it will go to the Opposition but the balance of the committee is on the Government's side. Given its sensitivity and crucial importance, we believe there a 50:50 balance should have been struck between Government and Opposition Deputies. If that involved increasing the number of Deputies on the committee so be it, but the Taoiseach made the wrong call in respect of that committee and others.

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