Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 15, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following:"(b) the Office of the President;".

The amendment proposes to include the Office of the President and the financial functions thereof and not to include the President himself or herself. The Minister rightly pointed out the President's office is subject to the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Committee of Public Accounts and an Estimate in the Dáil but not subject, like every other body, to freedom of information. I do not see how imposing this requirement on the office would impinge in any way on the functions of the President as he carries out his role as head of State. The debate has nothing to do with him or any other President but rather the running of the office.
Amendment No. 4 relates to Tourism Ireland. The Minister gave a reason in this regard last week, but it should probably be addressed at cross-Border level at the next talks. Sinn Féin speaks about cronyism, but it appointed a failed local election candidate, who then became a Member of the European Parliament, as chairman of Safefood which, as a cross-Border body, is also probably not subject to freedom of information. The Minister should take up this point with his counterparts on the North-South Ministerial Body.
I will not move amendment No. 13. We have already had a full debate on the points raised in the other amendments.