Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

When the time comes for Members to pay tribute to the Taoiseach, undoubtedly Members from all sides of the House will have to compliment him on his unremitting courtesy to the House, even in the face of provocation. Hence, I do not mean to be rude by stating that I know what his Secretary General's view is as I have read the speech. I am asking the Taoiseach for his view. Does he agree with the recruitment of outside people to managerial posts in the Civil Service, or may I draw the inference that the question of salary is the only obstacle? It has been a pattern and we cannot have it both ways. The Taoiseach's Ministers continually run away from any decisions that go wrong. They have a quango, an organisation, a civil servant or something else to blame. They seem to take the attitude that such problems were caused by operational decisions that should have been taken by civil servants. Perhaps we need more skilled managers. I am trying to establish the Taoiseach's view of this matter as I know the Secretary General's view.

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