Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Although I do not wish to delay the House unnecessarily, let us suppose that the first issue that arises is the length of time it takes to reply to queries from Members of the Oireachtas. The chief executive may reply that funding is not sufficient, a clear criticism of Government policy. The Minister believes the chief executive should not do that. Section 21 does not contain a clause equivalent to section 20(5), confirming my view that paragraphs of legislation are transferred from one Bill to another. Very little thought is put into this transposition. The chief executive can make statements before any Oireachtas committee that he or she cannot make before the Committee of Public Accounts. Under the legislation the chief executive is free under law, if not in policy, to express opinions before other Oireachtas committees that he or she is forbidden from doing before the Committee of Public Accounts.