John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I read enough to pick out an interesting nugget of information. The programme which was launched in 1999 stated there should be adequate consultation with interested parties before new legislation was introduced. That is a statement and a half which ranks with the pre-election statements to the effect that there would not be any cutbacks about which I spoke previously. What consultation did we have on this issue?

I have the utmost respect for the Secretaries General faced with the task of bringing forward proposals for change to the Freedom of Information Act. Senators have already stated how unfortunate it is that Ministers appear to be hiding behind these five civil servants and letting them take the blame for the legislation before us. It is the Government which is to blame. The Taoiseach's broken promise in this regard can be added to the list of broken promises that have emerged since the general election. I wonder what will be next.

One issue of particular interest to me is that of Sports Campus Ireland. I cannot help but feel that another reason for delaying the publication of Government information for longer than five years is to prevent potential embarrassing revelations regarding this project.