Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, I will deal with the formal decision making process. It is also important to have an informal discussion beforehand because when I go to these meetings I arrive on the evening before and I am gone by around two or three o'clock the next day. It is really important to have informal discussions around decisions that will be made at the formal meetings. Of course I discuss the challenges that we have with my counterparts. I have sidebar meetings at most of the formal and informal meetings that I have and aside from that, I know that Mr. Murphy deals with his counterparts on an ongoing basis about challenges that we have within our organisations.

On the PDFORRA conference on 24 June, that is all within the working time directive and there is a civil-military team working on that at the moment.

On the psychiatry services that were mentioned, we are in the process of recruiting new personnel for that but there is an arrangement in place where a private contractor will come in and there is an arrangement with the HSE as well. I outlined that in a recent parliamentary question that I had in the Dáil but we are in the process of recruiting a new person.

On Senator Craughwell's questions, I have raised these issues with the Chief of Staff. If people raise issues of safety with me I have always stated that I want to know about these problems and issues but they have to come through the channels of the Chief of Staff and the organisation. On the gaps in the organisation we have brought forward a white paper process which is a gap analysis of the organisation and there is a civil-military team working on that at the moment. I want to find out from that White Paper where the gaps are within the organisation-----