Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Will the Minister of State outline the rationale for his decision not to accept Senator Browne's amendment, which is a straightforward proposal to make public the advice given by the advisory board? The Minister of State's remarks appear contrary to the spirit, if not the letter, of the Freedom of Information Act and the thrust of the SMI process, an effort by the Government to expose to the public as much information as possible, with which he and some of his Government colleagues will be familiar. By laying this information before both Houses of the Oireachtas, we would simply allow it to be made public. The Minister of State's response and the rationale behind it are not well thought out. I ask him to reconsider his position on the matter, as the proposal offers the only opportunity for the House to get maximum benefit from the proposed regulatory authority, which has universal support among Senators. The information in question is a basic requirement and would be useful.