Shane Ross (Independent)

There is no question that they are answerable to a Minister and these Houses but they do not seem to think so. We need a debate on CIE, in particular, because it receives €320 million a year from the taxpayer and I do not have the foggiest notion where that €320 million goes. Neither does anyone else in the House. A report on CIE was published last week and leaked. I have an interest to declare, but the report found there had been collusion on contracts — the word "fraud" was used throughout the document which mentioned the manipulation of contracts and theft. The report, made to the CIE board, was never given to the Minister. It was not even offered to him. We do not know how many millions of euro were lost, but I suggest it will run into double figures. The Minister has now received a copy of the report which CIE, as an independent republic, considered it was better not to give him. Perhaps we could take the lead in this matter rather than burying these issues, as we have in the past, and agree to talk about them because for some reason many State agencies and semi-State bodies appear to be politically protected. That is not acceptable and a way of removing that protection is to debate them openly in the House.