Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

I will ask the question, based on what I am saying. The fact that the Minister is still there reflects badly on the Office of the Taoiseach as much as it does on the Minister for Transport. That said, is the Taoiseach serious when he says politicians would be better off leaving such matters of appointments to the procurement system, when his response to the Quigley report has been to basically involve the Department of the Taoiseach all the more in overseeing the appointment of public relations and communications staff? Is there not a direct contradiction in his view that this should be left to the procurement system and to the Standards in Public Office Commission, rather than involving his Department and perhaps the Taoiseach himself in the area of consultants' appointments? Is it not the case that the fact of politicians policing themselves is bound to draw a cynical response? It would be better to enhance the terms of reference given to the Standards in Public Office Commission so that people with substantial contracts from Departments are precluded from political fund raising, for example, with the Department keeping a register of all consultants engaged, including their terms of reference. Finally, foreign travel must be subject to strict criteria, which obviously were not in place in this case.

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