David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Let us imagine the hypothetical situation in which a member of the commission has taken a High Court action and, as a result, considerable compensation has been paid. As a consequence of the ensuing scandal or whatever, the chair resigns. There would be no accountability whatsoever. Substantial amounts of public money may have been spent in compensation but the public will not be given an explanation. That is wrong. To adopt Senator McDowell's phrase, accountability is frozen. That is wrong. I believe in openness and accountability. When considerable sums of public money are spent, there should be accountability. That accountability should not just be to a commission, it should also be to the public. The public should know. There should not be confidentiality where somebody behaves wrongly or badly. We are discussing circumstances where considerable amounts of public money might be spent in compensation and where the person involved resigns, and that is the end of the matter. The public would not be given any information whatsoever. That is wrong.