Vol. 545 No. 2
27 Mr. McDowell asked the Minister for Finance the progress made to date in the implementation of the recommendations of the DIRT sub-committee of the Committee of Public Accounts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30117/01]
As the Deputy will be aware the first and final reports of the Public Accounts Committee sub-committee inquiry into DIRT contained a large number of recommendations which fall to be implemented by a range of Departments and offices. I will confine my remarks to those recommendations which fall within my Department's direct responsibility.
On 26 October 2000, in reply to a question by Deputy Howlin, I gave a detailed response on the various recommendations contained in the first report. Given time constraints, I do not propose to go over this ground again. Instead, I will outline the position with the various recommendations made in the sub-committee's final report which was published on 3 April 2001.
I assure the House that work on considering and implementing these recommendations has been given a high priority in my Department. Within the time allotted to me, it is not possible to give a detailed response on the various recommendations for which I am responsible. In all, as a result of the sub-committee's recommendations, five separate pieces of legislation are in various stages of preparation at present. In some cases, a wide-ranging process of consultation with interested parties has also been initiated as part of the legislative drafting process. Steps are being put in hand in regard to the further studies recommended by the sub-committee. The various resourcing issues have been attended to in consultation with the relevant parties.
I should mention that my Department is currently finalising a report to the Committee of Public Accounts which will detail the progress made on implementing all the recommendations made in the final report for which my Department has direct responsibility. This report should be ready for submission to the Committee of Public Accounts in the near future.
Where stands the legislation to provide for the Oireachtas commission which I understood it was intended to publish shortly and where stands the legislation to provide for the reform or restructuring of the Revenue Commissioners?
The establishment of an independent Oireachtas commission was proposed by the Committee of Public Accounts under the chairmanship of Deputy Jim Mitchell. On 26 June 2001, the Government authorised the drafting of a Bill to provide for the establishment of an Oireachtas commission. This decision also authorised the initiation of consultation with the Ceann Comhairle, the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, the clerks of Dáil and Seanad Éireann and the Comptroller and Auditor General. These consultations are ongoing and the circulation of the draft heads of a Bill, on which work has commenced in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, will be extended to include party leaders.
The Public Accounts Committee also recommended that the funding formula established for the commission should include provision for the resourcing of individual Members and Oireachtas committees in line with best practice in other EU member states, an idea which Deputy Mitchell advocated long before he became Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts. An independent resource review has been established which will specifically address the resourcing of individual Members and Oireachtas committees. Until such time as the consultants for Deloitte & Touche submit their final report in January 2002, this issue cannot be adequately addressed. It is anticipated that the commission will maintain control of the financing of the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Work is ongoing in my Department on legislation to restructure the Revenue Commissioners but I have decided to await the report of the Moriarty tribunal which is specifically charged under its terms of reference with making recommendations in this regard.
We will not hold our breath.
The Moriarty tribunal report may be available much sooner than those of other tribunals.
