Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I am saying this in answer to Senator Mansergh's request for reasonableness. I would hate to be misunderstood.

It is important that we hear the Minister of State's view on the document published today by the Information Commissioner. Does he find it outrageous that the senior officer of the State should have made this available to us to facilitate debate? Does he find it outrageous that the senior officer of the State who is charged, more than anybody else, with the implementation of and the workings of this Act, would take the trouble to help Members of the Oireachtas with information, a commentary and views that would help us come to a conclusion? While I find this to be helpful, it seems to reflect a view of Government that such information is dangerous in the hands of mere public representatives. We are entering a new era if this is the case and it is something we need to worry about.

I hope Government Senators would worry about this as much as I do. I do not feel comfortable in adopting moral positions because I know my flaws and would be afraid others might start mentioning them too often. If the State feels threatened by this, or feels we should not have a report of this nature, then I would be very worried about the viewpoints in which this legislation is rooted.