Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

Listening to the Taoiseach announce the appointments to the office of Minister of State, it struck me that multiple Ministers of State have been appointed to the Departments of Education and Science, Health and Children, Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Will the Taoiseach publish formal, delegated orders for the duties, budget and powers of Ministers of State? Without delegated functions and a budget, power and responsibility, a Minister of State, even one who serves in four different Departments, is a poor creature.

I congratulate the new Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Deputy Mansergh. While I am pleased for him, I note he has also been appointed Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism which struggles to occupy the time of one full Minister. Given, as the Taoiseach indicated, that most of the Department's work is done by agencies, what will a Minister of State in the Department do? I suppose he will attend openings of events.

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