Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has a fair point about monopolies. We will look at that in the context of new legislation.

I strongly agree with the Deputy on the role of the Oireachtas. We need to have vigorous sectoral committees holding State agencies and Ministers to account. I think that is happening and we need to resource it better. This will evolve over time. Having the sectoral committees doing their work and giving them the necessary resources would be very good. It will rebalance the imbalance that exists between the Executive and the Parliament, which is something I have always argued as a parliamentarian. We need to move to a European model. All that we are doing in terms of FOI, accountability and the lobbying legislation is important in that respect.

Deputy Flanagan has a dismissive notion of semi-State companies. I support them.

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