Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Does that mean the communications unit, as it currently exists, will be abolished? In 2003-04, the Taoiseach's predecessor as Minister for Finance had a bill for press cutting services of €1,800. I suppose that represented value for money. In 2007, when the Taoiseach was Minister for Finance, that bill had increased by 380% to €30,000. Given that all of this activity goes on in every Department anyway, can the Taoiseach justify spending €30,000 of public money on press cuttings when he was in the Department of Finance? This evening, the Dáil will consider a motion relating to the withdrawal of funds to vaccinate young children at a time when the Government is spending a fortune on finding out what Ministers are saying and what is of news to them in various Departments. Can the Taoiseach comment on that? At a time when children between the ages of ten and 12 are being denied essential vaccinations, it seems extraordinary that so much public money is being spent on getting public servants to take press cuttings and inform Ministers of what others are saying about them, or what is going on in their Departments.

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