Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

If he has an opportunity to do so, the Deputy will probably confirm that I have made perfectly clear in the House, in his presence, and in my appearances before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs that a legal impediment has arisen. There is nothing new about the statement I made in the interview I gave The Irish Times from Africa, although I note the newspaper gave it ample coverage nonetheless. I made the same comments on the specific legal issue in a number of a parliamentary replies, some of which may have been issued to the Deputy. The case taken by the specialists has been well aired in newspapers in recent months and I understand several specialists from my Department wrote to The Irish Times in connection with the legal issue they have. There is, therefore, nothing new in my recent comments which appeared in previous replies. It may be worthwhile for the Deputy to read over these again before he frames another question on this matter.

The decentralisation to Limerick is not a shambles. Perhaps the Deputy did not listen to the substance of my reply. The good news it contained is that the percentage of those intending to decentralise to Limerick has increased. The figure I provided on the previous occasion I spoke in the House was that 41% of our staff requirement of 121 posts had been met. This figure has since climbed to 47%.

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