Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I did not make the response the Deputy describes and it is a misrepresentation to suggest I did. I simply made the point that one must consider the need to ensure the relationship between the Civil Service and Government is not compromised or undermined. I also noted that while it is one matter to consider a system designed to deal with wrongdoing or corruption, one also requires a means to ensure one does not have a generalised provision which could be used to change the essential relationship of trust and confidence between a Minister — a politician — and the Civil Service, the integrity and independence of the Civil Service is respected and maintained and the role of adviser and implementer of policy decisions is not compromised. The Government's argument is not that we should not have provisions but that we must carefully consider all these issues and deal with the matter on a sector by sector basis. A full articulation of the Government's position on the issue, as opposed to a misrepresentation of my comments, is best gauged and considered in the speech made by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment during the debate on the Labour Party Bill. That is my view on the matter.

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