I thank the Chair for this opportunity to say a few words about Jim Mitchell, a man I knew for a long time in both his terms as Chairman of this committee. I would like to take the unusual step of putting on the record his tremendous support for the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. He saw a role for the office in the development of a public accountability framework, appropriate to the 21st century. He always respected the non-political character of the office, which can be a difficult thing to do in certain circumstances, for example when one has a certain power at one's disposal. The non-political nature of my role never impinged in any way on our relationship.
At the first meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts of this Dáil, I spoke of the importance of the special relationship between my office and the committee. The committee will be most effective if we work in co-operation and there is a clear need for a genuine relationship between the Chairman and the Comptroller and Auditor General. The special relationship I have mentioned is best exemplified by the sequence of events that led up to the initial investigation into DIRT by my office and the subsequent DIRT inquiry by the Committee of Public Accounts. Although I was not sure in advance, there is no doubt now that the DIRT inquiry was a success.
Some members will recall an inconclusive meeting of the committee, with the Central Bank, the Revenue Commissioners and AIB, before the investigation took place and before we were sure what could be done. A few days later, Jim called to see me at my office and I knew that trouble was ahead. He asked me what could be done about the matter and expressed the view that we could not leave it uninvestigated. Over a cup of tea, we spoke about possible ways of developing an investigation and debated what would have to be done to bring an inquiry to fruition. The discussion was a tremendous testament to his "can do" attitude.
It was a marvellous privilege for me to work with someone like Jim Mitchell, as he did not think things should stand still, he respected principles while knowing that one had to use them to develop suitable frameworks for a modern system of public accountability and he was not afraid to push out the boundaries. Members have said that he pushed the boundaries beyond the committee's stated mandate. I recall, for instance, that he asked local authorities to attend meeting of the committee - Cork County Council was called in to justify the certification of claims for recoupment from the National Roads Authority and the committee discussed a large payment of compensation with Limerick County Council. He was not willing to deal with the Department or the NRA, as he wanted to get to the root of the problem. I had said to him that neither I nor the committee had a real mandate in relation to local authorities, but he was keen to proceed with the meetings nevertheless. It was a measure of their respect for Jim Mitchell and the committee that the local authorities did not refuse to attend, by citing the Act or Standing Orders. It is a testament to his effectiveness and that of the committee.
While he will always be remembered for the DIRT inquiry, we should not forget other areas where he was willing to push the boundaries out. He was quite interested in working for changes to the courts when they were acting administratively. The tail end of his endeavours in that regard was seen some weeks ago when the committee discussed the administration of court funds and responsibility and accountability for ensuring they were administered effectively. Some work remains to be done in relation to local authorities and I am sure the committee will take up that particular torch.
The priest at his funeral yesterday, along with members of the committee today, mentioned Jim's penchant for headlines. I remember, during a European election campaign, seeing his posters outside my office with slogans like "warrior against waste" and "fighter against fraud". His ability to produce such soundbites was one of his most endearing qualities. I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to pay my respects to Jim Mitchell. I would like to convey my sympathy to Patsy, who comes from a place that I know reasonably well, although not as well as Deputy Connaughton. I have had an association with the area for over 30 years. I would also like to convey my sympathy to Deputy Gay Mitchell, with whom I have had dealings in this committee.