Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The next batch of questions on social partnership is important. The House would not do them justice in the time available, so I had better think of something to ask the Taoiseach about this list.

Does he believe this is the nature of modern government? Even though this does not relate to a line Minister and it is his Department, there are pages and pages of consultancies. Is it unreasonable to expect that some of the work indicated should be discharged by civil servants employed by the State or is this the way of the future? There are literally pages and pages. Some of them are quite mysterious and I have no idea what they are about. Under the Moriarty tribunal heading one finds €50,000 paid to Peter Bacon & Associates for analysis and advice. I do not know what that is about. There are two separate items under the same heading that indicate the supplier is "confidential". I do not know what that is about. There are things such as €50,000 to the London School of Economics, for the provision of a training course on regulation. I do not know what that is. Perhaps the Taoiseach did not pay his fees at the time or something.

I want to ask, in particular, about the parliamentary reply given to the House by the Minister of State with responsibility for transport, Deputy Callely, where he said in respect of the recent advertisements in which he featured so prominently: "The advertisements in question were commissioned by the Dublin Transportation Office as part of a public information campaign——

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