Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In terms of the report, it is recommended that just one person should not have responsibility and it should be a team and it should go through the Department - I think it was the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that they were suggesting. Would you agree with that statement that one person should not have the right to sign off on this alone?

No. I disagree with that. The Accounting Officer under the relevant Act is responsible for the administration of the Department. It is set out very clearly. When it comes to these matters, it is very clear that the Secretary General has responsibility. That is what we are asked to do and what we are charged to do. I think that is very clear. Of course, it us up to others in this House to propose that that legislation be changed. I would not advise that but that is for others to decide. I think that would be a mistake. As for the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to be involved, no, I think that would be a mistake and totally unnecessary. This is a vast system. The Civil Service alone has 40,000 people. There are management board people within Government Departments. God, there must be 200-plus people who are at management board level. If somebody wants to be seconded from place to place, it is really a matter for the relevant people in the Department and the receiving organisation. In this case, Trinity College Dublin will make the decision. I think it just ties us up in more bureaucracy, more delay, more procedures, more protocols and it does not achieve anything. We are still going to make mistakes, by the way, no matter how many procedures and protocols we have. There is always potential for mistakes.