A chara, – Tom Kelly (June 17th) wonders "On what or whose authority" German MPs from the Bundestag finance committee will ask questions here. On the authority of the German electorate and taxpayers. Significant funding as part of the bailout came from the German taxpayer; as a consequence they gained a right of oversight, and the German constitutional court confirmed parliament's duty to exercise that right against the German government. In addition any future funding mechanism exposes European taxpayers, including German ones, to further risk. Parliaments have a duty to avoid or minimise that.
If our own parliament exercised such careful oversight we might not be relying on German taxpayers and others to pay our bills. – Is mise,
AONGHUS Ó hALMHAIN,
Páirc na Seilbhe,
Baile an Chinnéidigh,
Co Chill Mhantáin.