Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am going to interject here. The briefing note gives a broad scope as to the operational aspects of the Department. The purpose of this afternoon's meeting is specific but I have allowed a degree of flexibility. I can revert to the agreed agenda and we can go through this heading by heading. However, I need a degree of discipline from members. We are discussing programmes in regard to their administration, pay and non-pay elements and matters relating to outputs and output targets. If there are finances in the Department of the Taoiseach relating to actions arising and where we can measure outputs, we can debate that, but I will not open up a general debate.

There is a certain degree of sensitivity surrounding the previous issue, so I did not intervene. However, I will intervene from here on in. I ask the Deputy to refrain from straying from this afternoon's programme and to deal with things in the context of the Estimate and not have a general debate around policy.