Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I listened with interest to what Senator Paddy Burke said about accountability. I served for six years on a local authority and became chairman on my second year there. The situation pertaining to local accountability has not changed. My recollection is that a project is advertised and tendered, it is decided who is to get the tender, it goes to construction, is opened officially and there is never another word about it unless something goes wrong with the project. The only time there are questions is at the estimates stage and the same situation will prevail here. If money is delivered by a local authority for the payment of a public project which has been managed through the NDFA advice system for one of the State bodies, there is no reason why there would not be accountability and querying of a manager at estimates time as to why money is being paid, how much and why there are variants. In the same situation at national level within the Oireachtas, there is no reason Members cannot get answers to questions, whether through the Committee of Public Accounts—