Mr. Pat Rabbitte:

It is. We are talking about an organisation with 4,000 employees and 500 agency staff which has a very precise statutory obligation to discharge in a very complex and sensitive area. Would every chief executive out there apply for the job with the salary and duration of tenure offered? The duration also concerns me. I have made representations to the Minister on both the salary and the duration. If one was to look for somebody outside of the jurisdiction, would such a person transfer to Ireland for a five-year term in light of the present day housing circumstances and other issues? The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will always provide reasons for not changing the salary. That is its natural impulse, for obvious reasons.