Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On 30 October, the Government looked at four options. One option was for a serving Secretary General to take up the role in a permanent capacity. The minutes indicate that option was dismissed and that five conditions would have to be met. It would have to be a single candidate. I presume Robert Watt is a suitable candidate since he has taken up the interim position. The second condition is that the person would be willing to take up the position, and we at least know that he has taken it up as an interim position. The candidate would have to be available, given the agenda in the Department, and we know that he is available because he has moved. There would have to be agreement with both the official concerned and the relevant Minister, so I presume the Minister, Deputy McGrath, agreed to it. Was an approach made to Robert Watt to move permanently to the Department of Health, given that this issue was considered? It would appear that he meets all the other criteria so the only other condition is whether he was available to carry out the role on the terms laid out at that point.