Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Will the Taoiseach not accept that there is a duplication here? At a time when we are facing serious economic challenges we now have the primary Department, whether the Department of the Taoiseach or any other, making a determination that an exception should apply, otherwise it would not be making the application in the first place. It has gone through all of the rigours of examination in detail and made a decision to recommend that an exception should apply.

The matter then goes to the Department of Finance. I presume the Minister is not going through each of these applications on a personal basis. One would have hoped he is much too busy to give such matters his personal attention. Is another set of civil servants going through the whole process again, and going over the same detailed examination from another Department's perspective, making a second determination and giving the green light? Is this not all very bureaucratic, unwieldy and unnecessary? Surely the primary Department is the appropriate one to make the determination in relation to exceptional need.

I should like if the embargo did not apply at all. That is my position and I would argue strongly against it but given it is in place, can it not be fine-tuned to a point where we do not have unnecessary bureaucratic layers making a decision in regard to one person's approval to proceed in employment or have his or her contract renewed? Will the Taoiseach not agree that it is unwieldy and unnecessary and that the primary Department should be left with the responsibility within its budget of determining the public need and the provision of the essential staff to provide it?

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