Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Which other Departments are represented on the staff of the communications unit in the Taoiseach's Department? There is a cost of €119,000 directly to the Department of the Taoiseach from a sum of €257,000, as the Taoiseach mentioned. Am I to take it there are no separate paper-cutting communications units in the Departments of Transport, Education and Science and all others? I understand the purpose of this unit was to eliminate duplication and overlapping and save the taxpayer money. Is it the case that the two Ministers present, Deputies Noel Dempsey and Batt O'Keeffe, do not have paper cutting services and communications units in their Departments because the Taoiseach has a service that supplies the rest of the Government?

In what form is that information sent to other Departments? Is it by e-mail or in hard copy delivered to other Ministers' offices for dispensation to heads of sections? Does the communications unit listen to radio stations and go through the newspapers every day, taking out relevant information for different Ministers and dispensing it in hard copy? I am trying to be helpful. The Taoiseach does not want an entire body of public servants cutting up papers and transferring them to different Departments if there is one section in his Department that does it for all others. That is what I would like to know.

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