Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I understood the point made by Senator O'Toole who has been actively involved in this. It is not appropriate to have a Bill called the Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill without defining the term "accountant". When Senator Coghlan said a turf accountant could be regarded as an accountant, I realised the intricacies of this. Some 40 years ago the State determined an establishment could not be called a hotel without meeting certain stipulations. In the 1960s there were people operating as chemists, even though they had no qualifications. Senator McDowell is correct in saying it would be wrong to pass this Bill without establishing safeguards against such vague legislation.