Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Deputy appears to assume that a five year programme is not being implemented in 100 days. He is aware that I support transparency and accountability, and that is why he will be asked, whenever the date of the presidential election is fixed, to vote on giving Oireachtas committees greater powers of compellability of attendance so answers can be given to the public. I share his concerns but we cannot bring change at the click of our fingers. We might be able to do so in a dictatorial setting but we cannot in a democracy. We have to set out the legislation and the question that will give Oireachtas committees additional powers to provide the accountability and transparency he and everyone else wants to see. We have to give effect to that through decisions and in this case a constitutional referendum is required.

Furthermore, as the Ceann Comhairle is aware, we will also seek support from the people on a referendum to give full protection to those who are deemed to be whistleblowers in the sense of making confidential information of relevance available to Deputies or citizens, as the case might be. That is part of the next 100 days and it will be essential that the committees on which Deputies serve have powers of compellability of attendance and, as a consequence, accountability and transparency. That is the way it should be.

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