Mr. Paul Hogan:

We are talking about temporary appointments here. Previously, it was only possible for the Minister to appoint from his own Department on a temporary basis. Given events last year, the legislation changed to broaden that beyond his own Department and allow more people. It was felt, in the circumstances of temporary appointments, and to get things up and running quickly, people who had already been through the vetting procedures for the public service and senior civil servants should be targeted. That meant recruiting people from other Departments at a senior level, including principal officer level or higher, and from agencies such as the Office of Public Works, OPW.