Vol. 209 No. 2
I have received the following notice from the Taoiseach:
De bhíthin Liam Ó Cadhla (William John Kiely) d'iarraidh cead scortha as a oifig mar Ard-Reachtaire Cuntas agus Ciste le héifeacht ón 25ú Aibreán, 1964, tá orm a insint duit gur ghéill an tUachtarán, ag gníomhú dó ar chomhairle an Rialtais, dá iarratas ar an 22ú Aibreán, 1964.
Tairgim:
Go n-ainmneoidh Dáil Éireann Eoghan Proinsias Suttle chun a cheaptha ag an Uachtarán chun bheith ina Ard-Reachtaire Cuntas agus Ciste le héifeacht on 25ú lá d'Aibreán, 1964.
I move:
That Dáil Éireann nominate Eugene Francis Suttle for appointment by the President to be the Comptroller and Auditor General with effect from the 25th day of April, 1964.
My notification to you, Sir, which you have now communicated to the Dáil, regarding the retirement of the Comptroller and Auditor General with effect from Saturday next, the 25th instant, explains the necessity for this motion.
Before dealing with the motion, I am sure that the members of the Dáil would wish me to express, on their behalf, our appreciation of the services rendered by Mr. Ó Cadhla, who can look back on a lifetime of service to the State. He has held the important constitutional office of Comptroller and Auditor General for over ten years, and I should like, on your behalf, to convey to Mr. Ó Cadhla our very best wishes in his retirement.
As Deputies are aware, the Constitution provides that the Comptroller and Auditor General shall be appointed by the President on the nomination of Dáil Éireann. The fact that the appointment is one for which provision is made in the Constitution is, I think, sufficient evidence of its importance in our administrative machinery. It is hardly necessary for me to refer in detail to the duties of the office. Deputies will be aware that on the Comptroller and Auditor General is placed the onerous duty of controlling the disbursement of public moneys and of ensuring that those moneys are properly spent in accordance with the wishes of the Dáil, and those members of the House who have served on the Public Accounts Committee will have a full appreciation of the responsibilities of the office and of the high standards of ability, integrity and tact that are required of the holder of the post. They will appreciate, also, that the satisfactory performance of the duties of the Comptroller and Auditor General requires an understanding of the functioning of Parliament, a thorough knowledge of the intricacies of the work of accounting officers in Departments and of the principles that govern control of the public purse.
The duty of making a recommendation in the matter to the Dáil devolves on me, and I would like to assure the House that I and my colleagues in the Government gave very full consideration to the matter before deciding to recommend the nomination of Mr. Suttle—who is the present Secretary and Director of Audit in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General —to succeed Mr. Ó Cadhla. It has been emphasised in this House, on each of the past three occasions on which a vacancy occurred, that the Comptroller and Auditor General is not a civil servant and that it is not necessary for a person to have had experience in the Civil Service before being appointed to the office. We agree with that view. At the same time, we feel that it would be unwise to go outside the Civil Service when we have available to us a man who is so eminently suitable for the post—a man who has had over 37 years' experience of the working of the Comptroller and Auditor General's Office and who has served with entire satisfaction for the past seven years in the highest post in that Office after that of the Comptroller and Auditor General himself. In accordance with precedent, I have consulted the leaders of the other Parties, and I understand that they share our views regarding the suitability of Mr. Suttle for the appointment.
I am satisfied that Mr. Suttle will prove to be a worthy Comptroller and Auditor General and, accordingly, I confidently recommend his nomination to the Dáil.
As the House is aware, Deputy Dillon, Leader of the Opposition, is in Strasbourg but I am authorised to say he concurs fully in the sentiments expressed by the Taoiseach in moving his motion, that Mr. Suttle is eminently suitable for the position of Auditor General. We on this side of the House should like to be associated with the expression of goodwill on the retirement of Mr. Ó Cadhla who so diligently and well fulfilled the duties of that office to the satisfaction of the House and the Committees which he served.
From my own experience as a member of the Committee of Public Accounts and, presently having the honour to be its Chairman, I am very well aware of the eminence and ability of Mr. Suttle for this post. His contributions to the deliberations of the Committee have been instructive and exhaustive. He has been most helpful to the Committee in its work and has enabled them on a great many occasions to discharge the responsibilities imposed on them by this House. We fully concur in the Taoiseach's proposal and we believe that the most suitable individual is being appointed.
We also approve of the appointment of Mr. Suttle as Comptroller and Auditor General and would like to be associated with the remarks of the Taoiseach in appreciation of the work of the retiring Auditor General. As I have never met Mr. Suttle, I have no experience of his work but from what the Taoiseach has told us, I think he must be eminently suitable for the post now being rendered vacant by the retirement of Mr. Ó Cadhla.
Now who fears to speak in lies and slander in the Sunday Independent?
The Labour Party's professional liars.
Leave them alone.
