Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Otherwise, are we saying we are happy enough to have KPMG or PwC - the usual punters which have audited the banks over the years - employed by Irish Water to audit its accounts? Those accounts will then go to the line Minister at the time, who appoints the board of Irish Water. This will be to whomever is the Minister. Long after this Government is gone, there will be other Ministers. That Minister appoints the Chairman and the board and then the board and the chief executive will appoint the auditors. The auditors will audit the accounts. It will be one big happy circle.

What I am saying to this House is that this amendment is eminently sensible and necessary - absolutely necessary - if we are serious about proper oversight over expenditure. I say this as someone who has served nearly four years on the Committee of Public Accounts. I see the benefit of the work the Committee of Public Accounts does now, on a cross-party basis. Why not allow the Comptroller and Auditor General have oversight? Why not allow, through that, the Committee of Public Accounts to be able to each year have the chief executive and relevant members of Irish Water come in and answer genuine queries and questions that people may have? I see no reason for it. The Minister of State's only answer was to say that it was unnecessary. I have written it down. He said it was unnecessary. I might ask the Minister of State to repeat-----