Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The only point I would make in response to the fair point the Senator makes is that we are talking about two posts that are not only in the same sector but are directly linear and hierarchical in that the Secretary General of the Department of Health is the Accounting Officer with full legal responsibility for all of the expenditure that goes through the HSE. I take her point but there is a very direct working relationship in the context of what both individuals will do on a day-to-day basis. I ask the Senator to consider that point.