Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I must also take issue with his reference to "previous issues" by which he obviously means the technical briefing an official from the Department attended in the context of the groceries order. The Government corresponded with the Standards in Public Office Commission on this matter. As part of subsequent ongoing correspondence, a letter was sent to the Taoiseach from the Standards in Public Office Commission which provides important clarification. I will not read the entire letter which is dated 17 November 2006. It states:

In the light of its view that technical briefings by civil servants should be provided on an all-party basis, it notes your reference to the provision of such briefings on request to members of any or all of the parties.

In particular, it notes the advice you have given to Ministers and Ministers of State in respect of the provision of briefings by civil servants to a group of members set up by a parliamentary party to deal with a particular issue relevant to the briefing being provided. The Standards Commission considers that the provision of briefings by civil servants at parliamentary party committee meetings in the circumstances envisaged in your letter is consistent with their obligations under the Civil Servants' Code of Standards and Behaviour. However, it is of the opinion that attendance at such meetings should only occur where the Secretary General or Head of Office considers it appropriate.

With regard to the groceries order briefing, all of this was fulfilled. The Secretary General of the Department approved the presence and attendance of the civil servant, just as at other times when I and Deputy Hogan's party leader had briefings from the Health Service Executive and various parliamentary parties were also briefed by the National Treatment Purchase Fund. There is nothing wrong with this.

This did not involve using civil servants for political purposes and it is wrong of Deputy Hogan to state it did. This represents smear tactics of an unseemly kind and Deputy Hogan is dragging in innocent independent people. I did not want to end our last Question Time with this. I answered the question factually at the beginning and Deputy Hogan continued to make these baseless allegations. They should be withdrawn.

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