Dismissing any concerns about foot-and-mouth disease, the chairman of the Public Account Committee (PAC), Mr Jim Mitchell, has defended an 11-day fact-finding trip to Argentina to be made by him and two committee colleagues. It is to discover how that country is administered.
Mr Mitchell said the trip would be very valuable. "I can tell you it's not a holiday, it's work and it's always valuable." He also said he did not believe there was any foot-and-mouth risk involved.
Last week Argentina, the world's fourth-largest cattle exporter, announced that it was to vaccinate cattle herds against the disease.
Mr Mitchell is travelling tomorrow with Labour party TD Mr Michael Bell and Fianna Fail TD Mr Conor Lenihan. A fourth place is available for a Fianna Fail TD after Mr Sean Doherty pulled out of the trip on Tuesday. However, nobody has wanted to take up the offer.
Mr Mitchell said the group would remain in Buenos Aires and had no plans to visit any farms. "To bring this to its logical conclusion we should all be under house arrest."
Last year, a PAC group travelled to Korea and Japan. Mr Mitchell said Argentina was chosen this time because it was a big economy and there was a large Irish community. "Once a year we go on a trip to learn about other systems of financial controls and accountability and also to tell people about our system."