Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Members of the Seanad who participated in Tuesday's debate. It was a very robust debate, and I refer here only to my Fine Gael colleague. I would expect nothing less from him. We are, after all, a party that prides itself on openness, accountability and transparency and it is my colleague's job to hold me to account in the Upper House. He acquitted himself very well, as of course did Senator Gavan.

I will repeat what I said on Tuesday night. I want it put on the record that the Government never had any intention other than to comply with the Comptroller and Auditor General Acts. I said in the Dáil, at the committee and in this House that the Government accepted amendments to the Bill that made no material difference to its original construct. I had assumed that I had made this position clear on Tuesday to those Senators present. I made it clear that the Comptroller and Auditor General Acts always trump all other legislation for a body such as this one that has been established by the Houses of the Oireachtas. While the Government accepted amendments, they made absolutely no material difference. Even had these amendments not been accepted, this office would still be subject to the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Accounting Officer would still be required to go before the Committee of Public Accounts. Under the Ministers and Secretaries Acts, along with the other legislation on accountability and transparency at various levels that have been around since the foundation of the State, there would also be a requirement to comply with a constitutional provision laid out under the role of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the position of the Committee of Public Accounts.

Speaking as a former member of that committee, and I am sure that the Senators who were present here on Tuesday would agree, the amendments the Government has accepted make no material difference to the Bill, which was always going to be subject to scrutiny anyway. I made this point in the Dáil, at committee and here in this House on Tuesday night. While some Members may be claiming to have won this great level of accountability, I can categorically state the Government must comply with existing legislation under the Comptroller and Auditor General Acts, as is completely appropriate. From the time this Bill was first mooted, the National Shared Services Office was always going to be required to comply.

In response to Senator Paddy Burke's comment about staff, it is important that this Bill went through so quickly and I thank the Senators for that. We wanted to give assurances to civil servants that their position is properly constructed on a legislative basis.That is now done. We also wanted to make sure the office, which, as Senator Burke has said, is quite wide in its remit, is allowed to get on with its job. As I said recently to my good friend, the de-quangoisation, as it were, of Ireland is something the Government wants to proceed with and this is an element of that process. This is a coming together of a number of entities that were operating in silos. It is also a blueprint for what we hope could be achieved in other areas. It is my hope that we, as the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, can now push other line Ministers and Departments to do the same to look at shared services case by case. There is no need, especially in the big three expenditure areas of health, education and social protection, not to look at this option.

I thank the Seanad, the staff in the Seanad for circulating the script to Senators, and everyone from the national shared services office. I thank those from my own office and the Department, those who submitted amendments, those who took time out to be here on Tuesday night and again today, and our colleagues in the Lower House. I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and his colleague, the Cathaoirleach, for facilitating me with such courtesy during the passage of this Bill. I am delighted it has passed both Houses and I look forward to completing the implementation.