Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

This briefing, in which the Minister instructed a civil servant to brief the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, concerned the groceries order. Members of the parliamentary party must be confused as to how prices have risen so greatly subsequently, but that is a different issue. What action did the Taoiseach take as a result of receiving the communication from the Standards in Public Office Commission that it was inappropriate for a Minister to use a civil servant in this fashion?

Although Fianna Fáil tends to identify itself with the nation, does the Taoiseach now accept that it is wrong to use a public official as though he or she were a political servant of the Minister? Is the Taoiseach satisfied with the level of compliance on the part of his Ministers and Ministers of State in respect of the code of conduct for office holders? In particular, is he satisfied with the compliance in terms of declarations on the register of interests by Ministers and Ministers of State?

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