Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I support the amendment. Although we rarely agree, I respect the Minister because he engages with issues. I have never seen him hide behind obscurities. If he has ideas, he lets us know. Politics is well served by that approach.

On every occasion where legislation passed by the House requires the submission of reports, Senator Quinn has sought to impose a time limit for publication. I have tested the patience of the Chair by requesting that annual reports from 1999 be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas this year. Every public body should produce its annual reports and accounts within the statutory framework pertaining to public limited companies. It is nonsense to suggest they could not do so. The Revenue Commissioners would not tolerate it if companies made their returns three years late. I ask the Minister to raise this issue with the Government. Public bodies cannot be efficient if they are unable to report on their activities within two or three months.