Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

As the Taoiseach stated, we have had questions on the Government's listening post a number of times. The unit listens to the radio, reads the newspapers, takes clippings and cuttings and keeps an eye on what kind of coverage the Government is getting. I was surprised that it did not seem to cross Colm McCarthy's path when he was examining the public service. I could not see a reference to it in the McCarthy report. Would the Taoiseach regard the communications unit as an essential service of Government?

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