Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

On the same topic, I received a letter from the Ceann Comhairle this morning. I had asked whether the Taoiseach was requiring Ministers to sign delegation orders to allocate functions to Ministers of State. From a parliamentary point of view in holding Ministers of State accountable, it would be appropriate to know whether their functions were allocated on a statutory or informal basis. My question was ruled out of order on what looked like spurious grounds, namely, that asking the question infringed on a matter internal to the Cabinet. However, it is central to Parliament holding Ministers of State accountable. This issue must be examined, as we cannot carry on like this.

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