Ms Shirley Comerford:

I think we are getting some things a bit mixed up. We run Irish-only streams for people coming into the Civil Service. Applicants can obviously apply for the English stream, the Irish stream, or both. They are not excluded from being on panels from both streams. That is the entry point. Once someone is in the Civil Service, he or she is part of the general list pool and is not confined to an Irish stream career. He or she has the same entitlements and mobility as every other civil servant. There is no distinction.