Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would love to hear it. I keep hearing that we have news. I raised this issue a couple of years ago and again last year. It would be great if something was happening.

The Minister, Deputy Howlin, says a lot of this information is online, but I dispute that because the facts and figures are simply not generally accessible to the general public and there is very little information. We do not have one simple website, and that is why politicians still have to ask questions and there is a scandal every week in newspapers about overspending, misspending or whatever in some Department, State, semi-State body or charity.

To even argue that this information is accessible compared to the US model does not stand up to scrutiny at all. The Government would do well to introduce such a source rather than some of the other measures it is currently undertaking. I would be delighted to hear some good news from the Minister of State.

There must be a move away from the secrecy of the past. In an age of transparency, this is the sort of thing we should examine much more closely. We could have pie charts and bar charts, and we would be able to see exactly what type of Government expenditure is taking place. If we are serious about keeping track of Government expenditure limits the citizen must know exactly where his or her tax money is going.

As we have seen recently, journalists are often better that politicians at performing this type of oversight. We need more transparency to aid our democracy. I cannot understand any opposition to this idea. It sounds simple because it is. It is possible to have such a system. I see a glint in the eye of the Minister of State which suggests he will give me good news in regard to this.