Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

They are dealt with in the press offices of individual Departments as part of their overall work. As Deputy Kenny knows as a former office holder, the work of the press office is to deal with press queries and to provide whatever information the Minister or his office is seeking. One needs people in situ in each Department who are acquainted with how the Department operates, who the relevant personnel are and who can provide assistance in respect of finding answers that people wanted 20 minutes before they even phoned. That can only be done on a practical level within the Departments.

The important point is that the communications unit furnishes news updates and transcripts which ensure that Departments are kept informed in a fast and efficient manner. As the Deputy knows from his own position, the level of news and media queries has mushroomed out of all proportion to what it was even ten years ago.

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