Mr. John McKeon:

In terms of staff who clearly are not suitable to their role, in the first instance what we do - Mr. Spellman alluded to this - is look to move them into a role for which they are suited. If people are not competent to do the job, they will undergo a training programme or we will move them into a job in which they will be competent. If it is not a competency issue, but a performance issue - the person is performing in a way that is unacceptable - there are procedures within the Department on looking into those matters and taking appropriate action. We would have to talk to the individual, but I would emphasise that overwhelmingly, including in this research, the feedback on staff members is generally very positive. They have worked in extraordinarily difficult circumstances and people know this. Staff in the Department of Social Protection offices sometimes have to deal with customers who are under extreme stress themselves. There can be issues and it is important to get to the bottom of the issue. Is it an issue with the staff member or is it an issue purely around communications? If there is a recurring problem which points to a performance issue, there are procedures which we will invoke for dealing with staff.