Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I second the amendment. To a certain extent I agree with Senator Mansergh that there is some wrecking taking place, but it is being done by the Government. For a long time it hid behind the fact that there were little details that needed to be tidied up, then it hid behind the report of the so-called high level group, and then it pretended that it had informally consulted the Information Commissioner and at least knew his views. We were getting close to de Valera at that stage where the views of everyone could be found by looking into the Government's heart and it really did not need to consult the experts on the legislation because it knew more about it.

We now discover that an Oireachtas committee, representative of all parties and with a Government majority, believes the legislation needs substantial amendment. I heard the chairman of that committee speak in a debate in the Dáil in which he said he could find no evidence that any disclosure of anything under the Freedom of Information Act had done the least harm to serious Government business, although it may have.

I do not believe it is true of the Minister for Finance. He takes a certain delight when evidence emerges that he has been given advice by officials and done something differently, something on which I commend him. As he has often said, advisers are there to advise, Ministers are there to take responsibility.