Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The holding of Cabinet committees is an internal matter for the Cabinet. As I said, no decisions are taken at Cabinet committees. The whole idea is to bring to fruition various policy issues and debates and to come to Cabinet with a position that is, usually, agreed by the various Ministers, rather than have all of that argument and discussion at the Cabinet level. There might be a specialised issue involving two or three Ministers that needs to be dealt with at that level by the Ministers and their Civil Service advisers and whatever. Such committees are really just a methodology of getting through the agenda in a more efficient way rather than being in plenary session all the time.

I am aware and have read political biographies in the past that suggested some people had Cabinet meetings into the early hours of the morning. Sosanna were taken and -----

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