Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

No, but make the role of the Chief of Staff more analogous to the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána. I am only guessing that he or she would report directly to the Tánaiste and would be responsible for the Vote, the deployment for resources and so on in a way whereby there would be a separation of the fiscal role of the Department and the functional administrative role of the Chief of Staff.

The Tánaiste stated clearly that he wants the oversight board to be free to make any recommendation it wants and to be independent completely. If, however, some of its recommendations touch upon resourcing or past policy or might adversely reflect on the Department or the Minister, having the Secretary General involved must surely have an impact on such deliberations and must temper the independence of the board in the context of its capacity to make those decisions. That is why I make the case I am making. It would sit better in the context of what the Tánaiste is talking about in the restructuring of the administrative relationship of the Army for the oversight board be 100% independent.

The only reason the Tánaiste has really given for what is happening is that it is in the recommendations, which is fine. However, those recommendations are couched in the reality of what the structure is now. In the context of what he is talking about, it is a new structure. I think there is merit in what I am suggesting. Would the Tánaiste even agree to reflect upon it between now and Report Stage?