Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

That is agreed. In terms of strategic State assets and the definition of what they are, I take it that it would include our airports.

The Minister mentioned procurement, an area which has been greatly overlooked by previous Governments, including the Government of which my party was a member. The State spends in the region of €15 billion per year procuring goods and services. Last year the Committee of Public Accounts produced a detailed forward-looking report on procurement. The Minister highlighted procurement and it is an area in which substantial savings can be made which will not affect the terms and conditions of employees of the State. Will the national procurement service, which is under the Department of Finance, be under the Minister's wing? Will it have a remit to drive savings in each Government agency? A 10% saving in procurement would provide €1.5 billion to the State. Many experts, the Forum on Public Procurement and others believe that further savings can be made.

Senator Clune, former Deputy Bernard Allen, the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, myself and others co-authored the report I mentioned and there are many good ideas in it. The Minister does not have to reinvent the wheel, he should look at the report.

The Bill's digest brief we received spoke about staffing levels in the Department of Finance. I refer to staffing levels in this new Department. Will the Minister recruit additional staff? What will the staffing levels be? Obviously, this is outside the current recruitment embargo which the new Government has not lifted. What further scope does the Minister have? He will need the latitude to recruit the best. Is recruitment of new staff complete? Is the Minister recruiting from outside the Civil Service and the public sector to get the expertise he requires?

The first Dáil sat in 1919 and the Minister for Finance is one of the few Ministers mentioned in the Constitution. We take seriously the transfer of power from the Minister for Finance to the Minister for public expenditure and reform. We are interested in what looks to be a dispute resolution clause. If, God forbid, the Minister and the Minister for Finance fell out on a particular matter, although I cannot see that happening-----