Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

It is not a matter for the board of the National Development Finance Agency to report to a committee of the Oireachtas on a project or projects which it funds. It will be a matter, as in the normal course, of democratic life for the relevant Minister, accounting officer, or the equivalent in a Department or agency or authority to report to the Government and Oireachtas in the normal manner in keeping with existing democratic accountability arrangements. It would be unwise if we were to change the structure which has served the country so well for so long.

There is a clearly defined structure in existence. The Minister is accountable to Parliament. The various accounting officers who are the secretaries general of the various Departments or the directors general of the various State agencies are responsible to the Committee of Public Accounts and to the senior Departments also. Given that situation it would be unwise to have a different structure in this case. The Minister for Finance considers that the requirement in section 18(6) for the chairman and chief executive of the National Development Finance Agency to give evidence to the Committee of Public Accounts whenever so required, provides for sufficient accountability by the agency in the performance of its functions. In other words, the chairman of the board, the chief executive of the agency – one responsible for the board, the other responsible for the staff – would be the two people who would be responsible to give evidence to the Committee of Public Accounts whenever they are required to do so. On that basis, we are satisfied that that democratic accountability in a public forum on behalf of the taxpayers, through parliamentary committee, is the proper way to proceed. Consequently, I regret I cannot accept this amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.