Targaim:
Go n-ainmneoidh Dáil Éireann Pádraig L. Mac Domhnaill chun a cheaptha ag an Uachtarán mar Ard-Reachtaire Cuntas agus Ciste.
I move:
That Dáil Éireann nominate Patrick L. McDonnell for appointment by the President to be the Comptroller and Auditor General.
My notification of 13 October 1981 to you, Sir, regarding the retirement of the Comptroller and Auditor General with effect from 1 November 1981 explains the necessity for this motion.
At the outset I am sure Members of the Dáil would wish me to express, on their behalf, our appreciation of the services rendered by Mr. Mac Gearailt, who has now retired after 46 years of service to the State, of which almost 38 were spent in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, where he held the high — and most important — constitutional office of Comptroller and Auditor General since 1973. I should like, on your behalf, to convey to Mr. Mac Gearailt our very best wishes for every happiness 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 sufficient evidence of its importance in our administrative machinery. The onerous duties of controlling the disbursement of public moneys and ensuring that these moneys are properly spent in accordance with the wishes of this House are placed on the holder of the post, which requires a very high standard of ability, integrity and tact.