Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Those who drafted amendment No. 35 will appreciate the Minister of State calling their words eloquent. Eoghan Finn in the office has a lot to answer for, therefore. It is very rare that I would be accused of being eloquent in my words.

The intent is in amendment No. 35, and amendment No. 36 in particular. With regard to amendment No. 39, I understand what the Minister of State is saying but other Ministers and bodies are answerable or must at least report to Oireachtas committees regarding their actions. The idea is there should be some type of parliamentary oversight.

At the moment, legislation and action on heritage are the responsibility of a Minister with quite a large portfolio. This is not always the case. Responsibility has been shifted around many Departments in the terms of recent Dáileanna. The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, has the brief at this stage but he is in a Department that is dealing with one of the greatest emergencies, the housing emergency, as well as with our local authorities.

Let me go back to amendments Nos. 35 and 36 very briefly. They concern the performance of functions but do not outline the functions themselves; the idea is that whoever is performing the function will have due regard to what is stated in these amendments. Amendment No. 36, in particular, is the key one in many ways because it sets out that somebody performing the function has to have cognisance of the right to access. It is quite self-explanatory. I intend to move both amendments Nos. 35 and 36.

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