Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The current Taoiseach, when Leader of the Opposition, said:

Ministers are entitled to demand the best service the Civil Service can provide but if civil servants fail they should not be scapegoated.

What did the doyenne of probity, the current Tánaiste, say at the time? She said:

Accountability means that a Minister must take charge, must exert authority over his or her Department, and must avoid doing certain things because they are wrong but must do other things that are required of them. That is what duty is all about: Ministers must take charge and discharge their duties. A Minister cannot become a prisoner of his or her staff.

See this speech in context