Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Okay. I refer to what Mr. Fraser discussed at the beginning of the meeting. Previously, when people left or retired from the public service they usually went into retirement, but now everything has become more fluid. People come and go in the public service and their tenure is shorter. Politicians have a cooling-off period, and even some political advisers have a cooling-off period, whereby they cannot work for a private entity immediately after carrying out a political function because there might be a perception of a conflict of interest. Does Mr. Fraser think it would be advisable to develop something similar for civil servants? Some would say they, too, have a more detailed knowledge of how the State apparatus in the Administration works, something that could be very desirable in the private sector and something which could create a conflict of interest. I am not saying that people should be prevented from continuing their careers, but that there should be a similar cooling-off period for public servants to what is there for politicians.