Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

May I ask her about her statement that she will personally sign off on all consultancies in future? Does that mean she will personally monitor them? Does that mean that we now have a blurring of the lines between policy and operational executive action? Is that Government policy or just Progressive Democrats policy? I note that the Government decision of today to which she referred does not confirm anything along those lines. It states that Ministers will also have to confirm that any moneys spent on consultancy in their Departments is necessary in time for next year's Estimates. Apart from the incompetent English, that does not change anything except that provision must be made in the Estimates, and some Minister cannot decide during the course of the year that he will award an open-ended contract to consultants.

Is the Minister saying, because I find this fantastic——

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