Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator Henry for her intervention because it is an object lesson in why we need this legislation. It was necessary to correspond with 11 different health authorities to elicit this information which the Minister, regrettably, has not been able to obtain for the Senator to date.

The amendments reflect a discussion that took place in the other House and the Minister responded in section 79 of the Bill, which empowers the Minister to make regulations, including regulations relating to the supply by the executive of specified documents or information to Members of either House, and correspondence by the executive with those Members on such other matters as the Minister might consider appropriate. It is important to notice that the terms of the section provide for Members of either House of the Oireachtas to receive information. A parliamentary question can only be tabled in the other House and the Minister has tabled an enabling provision which allows the Minister to draw up regulations providing for the supply of information to Members of either House. It is modelled on the section that was adopted at the time of the abolition of the dual mandate for local government.