James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have to analyse the past in this committee and ask questions about it, rather than focusing on the future. That is welcome. In the past, when it came to the recommendation process for special envoys, generally speaking, would the Minister be in charge of designing the list and coming up with the candidates, or would it be the Department that would come up with a recommended list of candidates? Will Mr. Conlan give us an insight into that process? How does the Department get to a point where that list of potential candidates to fill a role or vacancy may occur?