Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The number of Ministers of State I have appointed is appropriate in terms of the responsibilities they have been given. Some of these responsibilities are cross-departmental, an aspect that needs to be further developed. Following the OECD report on the reform of the public service, I am mindful of how we can better organise government with a view to ensuring we assign to Ministers of State responsibility for tasks which can be pursued in a coherent fashion.

On the Deputy's question regarding the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, I have made the point that Deputy Mansergh is Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works and has additional responsibilities in the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. These responsibilities are shared with the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy Cullen, whom the Minister of State will assist in the discharge of his duties, in the same way as other Ministers of State assist senior Ministers.

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