Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

Is there still a Government information service? Traditionally, there was a Government press secretariat made up of political appointees, the five people to whom the Taoiseach referred, dealing with political issues while a separate Government information service, staffed by civil servants, dealt with the dissemination of routine, non-political information. The Government press secretary of the day was head of the Government information service but there was a clear distinction between the roles of political appointees and the civil servants working in the Government information service. The website of the Department of the Taoiseach no longer makes reference to the Government information service. There is only reference to a Government press office. When did the change happen? Did the Taoiseach make a public announcement of the change? Was a decision taken to abolish the separate Government information service and absorb it into the Government press office? Does the Taoiseach accept there is a great importance in keeping clear and distinct functions between the Government information service, civil servants, and the political appointees who deal with the press on a daily basis? Given the way the two sections have morphed together, does the Taoiseach expect civil servants to deal with political inquiries from the media, which are more pertinent to a political appointee?

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