Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

If the commission is established and is under the ownership of a Minister, it is vital that Members of the Oireachtas and the public know what is going on in the discussions between the commission and the Minister. I am not suggesting that any information at the disposal of the commission should be made public but there is a right of knowledge on issues such as fees, resources and staff. None of the information will upset the work of the commission. The public and the Oireachtas have a right to know how much money is being spent on a commission, what it is doing and how near it is to concluding. Even the interim reports are being sent directly to the Minister, removing Oireachtas Members from the loop again, so it is necessary that some of the correspondence between the Minister and the commission is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.