Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, Chairman. Mr. Moran has covered many of the broader issues and mentioned good governance and how the Department interacts. He also mentioned parliamentary questions which we find frustrating when they are partially answered. Sometimes it means we must submit further questions to get answers. Sometimes the Department of Finance is as much to blame as any other Department for supplying partial answers.

How does the process of secondment work within the Department which has 12 staff from KPMG, PwC and other companies? Does the Department identify a skills shortage or do companies offer staff? What is the policy in that regard? I am concerned about how the Department builds barriers. One can always say there are professional barriers and that the staff have signed the Official Secrets Act. My question is how do we guard against the possibility that people with good intentions will become embedded in the Department, build networks and contacts and will find that they have easier access to convey information when they return to KPMG and PwC? What is the risk analysis of the Department in this matter? What other safeguards are there?