Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Regardless, if it is directly associated with a Minister, it still should be checked. That is my understanding, subject to correction. I do not think there is a monetary amount on it.

It is up to individual Departments and Ministers to satisfy themselves whether particular tenders or contracts need to be referred to the Secretary General. It is, however, now a requirement of the Cabinet handbook and I have made that known.

In any of these investigations, and we have seen a number of them in recent times, it was not just the record that was examined, individuals were interviewed at length, certainly in the case of the report by Mr. Quigley. He did not just follow a paper trail.

Deputy Rabbitte made an interesting point that I have made and I hope it does not become an issue in future. He correctly said that normally the files and records are in good order. This is an exposed area for politicians. Regularly, I walk around my Department and people ask me for a decision, direction or view and I give it. Politicians do not have the benefit of writing detailed memos and often, as good as a person thinks his or her memory is, one has no recollection of it when it is raised. That worries me in this day and age, where everybody else will be writing detailed memoranda but politicians must do their best to keep things moving. There lies a question for politicians to focus on because it will arise again.

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