Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Not to interrupt Mr. Moloney, but my focus is on whether the Department is value for money. I have read a huge amount in preparation for this committee meeting and many of my colleagues and I are of the opinion it is time to reintegrate the two Departments. The 650 employees at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform could probably be put to much better use. Mr. Moloney previously mentioned that the equivalent body in the UK has been in existence for 50 years.

Unless Mr. Moloney has proof that the Department has saved in excess of €50 million in reforms, it is not really worth our while. It is a waste of money. We are paying two grade 1 Secretaries General. I do not see the level of expertise there. Can Mr. Moloney tell me categorically, for the benefit of the committee and the people who pay their taxes into the Exchequer, that his Department is value for money? I am not talking about him personally. Is the Department worth those 650 people and taking up this committee's time? Has it generated savings in excess of €50 million in the years since it was established? It it ten years now?