12. The Act of 1990 is amended by inserting the following sections after section 6:

“Accountability to Public Accounts Committee

6A. (1) The Chief Executive shall, whenever required in writing to do so by the Committee of Dáil Éireann established under the Standing Orders of Dáil Éireann to examine and report to Dáil Éireann on the appropriation accounts and reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (in this section referred to as the ‘Committee’), give evidence to that Committee in relation to—

(a) the regularity and propriety of the transactions recorded or required to be recorded in any book or other record of account subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General that the Agency is required by or under this Act or any other enactment to prepare,

(b) the economy and efficiency of the Agency in the use of its resources,

(c) the systems, procedures and practices employed by the Agency for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of its operations, and

(d) any matter affecting the Agency referred to in a special report of the Comptroller and Auditor General under section 11(2) of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Amendment) Act 1993, or (in so far as it relates to a matter specified in paragraph (a), (b) or (c)) in any other report of the Comptroller and Auditor General that is laid before Dáil Éireann.

(2) In the performance of his or her duties under subsection (1), the Chief Executive shall not question or express an opinion on the merits of any policy of the Government or a Minister of the Government or on the merits of the objectives of such a policy.

Appearances before other Oireachtas committees

6B. (1) In this section ‘Committee’ means a Committee appointed by either House of the Oireachtas or jointly by both Houses of the Oireachtas (other than the Committee referred to in section 6A or the Committee on Members’ Interests of Dáil Éireann or the Committee on Members’ Interests of Seanad Éireann) or a sub-committee of such a Committee.

(2) Subject to subsection (3), the Chairperson and the Chief Executive shall, at the request in writing of a Committee, attend before it to give account for the general administration of the Agency.

(3) The Chairperson and the Chief Executive shall not be required to give account before a Committee for any matter which is or has been or may at a future time be the subject of proceedings before a court or tribunal in the State.

(4) Where the Chairperson or the Chief Executive is of the opinion that a matter in respect of which he or she is requested to give an account before a Committee is a matter to which subsection (3) applies, he or she shall inform the Committee of that opinion and the reasons for the opinion and, unless the information is conveyed to the Committee at a time when the Chairperson or the Chief Executive is before it, the information shall be so conveyed in writing.

(5) Where the Chairperson or the Chief Executive has informed a Committee of his or her opinion in accordance with subsection (4) and the Committee does not withdraw the request referred to in subsection (2) in so far as it relates to a matter the subject of that opinion—

(a) the Chairperson or the Chief Executive may, not later than 21 days after being informed by the Committee of its decision not to do so, apply to the High Court in a summary manner for determination of the question whether the matter is one to which subsection (3) applies, or

(b) the person who chairs the Committee may, on behalf of the Committee, make such an application,

and the High Court shall determine the matter.

(6) Pending the determination of an application under subsection (5), the Chairperson and the Chief Executive shall not attend before the Committee to give account for the matter the subject of the application.

(7) If the High Court determines that the matter concerned is one to which subsection (3) applies, the Committee shall withdraw the request referred to in subsection (2), but if the High Court determines that subsection (3) does not apply, the Chairperson and the Chief Executive shall attend before the Committee to give account for the matter.

(8) In the performance of his or her duties under this section, the Chairperson and the Chief Executive shall not question or express an opinion on the merits of any policy of the Government or a Minister of the Government or on the merits of the objectives of such a policy.”