Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I will not give judgments on these issues. The questions relate to the Nally report's recommendations on the updating of the Office of the Chief State Solicitor's in 1999 to improve relationships between the office and the DPP and on the powers that should be transferred from the Attorney General to the DPP, with legislative provision to allow the DPP to delegate to the Chief State Solicitor. Other aspects in the report are almost fully implemented.

The DPP has contributed to some of these debates. He is independent under the 1974 Act so I do not want to give my view or that of the Government on how he handles cases. He has a level of independence that allows him to decide how he deals with these issues. He has stated in some speeches at conferences that there are areas we should examine or that his office should examine.

Since the Nally report was published in 1999, negotiations with staff to implement the recommendations and the putting in place of adequate staff structures took a few years. Staff structures for the criminal division of the Chief State Solicitor's Office were transferred to the DPP's office to form a unit headed by a solicitor. That unit has professional staff who work for the DPP under the meaning of the 1974 Act. Removing those powers from the Office of the Chief State Solicitor and giving them to a solicitor in the DPP's office was a significant change. If I was to say how he should do his job, however, I would be interfering.

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