Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

That is quite likely, but the legislation before us allows a Taoiseach to do so even if the Ceann Comhairle does not support that action. Hence it gives a Taoiseach the authority to dismiss the Clerk of the Dáil in the same way that it gives a Minister the authority to dismiss a Secretary General. However, the relationship is different and the Minister of State has not addressed that issue. He has simply repeated the statements he made on a number of occasions, but simply repeating it does not——

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