Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know. I resented being told that the issues of public interest I raised by way of parliamentary questions were not the responsibility of individual Ministers, which left me with no option but to submit a freedom of information request. I have a strong view on this - I believe that any issue of public interest which is subject to a freedom of information request should be answered in the House, without exception, because no public authority has the right to supersede the House of Parliament. The rights of Members of the House must be observed in every instance and if an issue is going to be the subject of a freedom of information request, it is entitled to be observed in the House. That same information should, without reservation, be brought before the House. I was reprimanded on several occasions because of that. I believe I was right and I will never come to the conclusion, or be encouraged to come to the conclusion, that I was wrong. If the parliamentary system had worked more effectively in the years we are talking about and all those questions that could have been answered in the House were answered in it, there would be much less need for inquiries or tribunals and much less cost.

To those who sneer at the system of parliamentary questions as an expensive way to get information, I say that the House of Parliament is still the supreme authority in terms of obtaining information. I do not believe the House of Parliament is the Executive - the Executive is drawn from the House of Parliament. Some people want to change the way our system works, to reverse it so that the Executive becomes the servant of the House of Parliament. The Executive's role is to produce and propose and the role of the House of Parliament is to debate. If the Executive does not do its job in the way it should, there is a price to be paid. We all know that.

I congratulate the Minister for bringing the legislation before the House. I hope it is effective and open, and is seen to be open. I hope that as a result, our society will come to the conclusion that all is not lost and that we are quite capable of doing the job we were given in our role as public representatives.

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