Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

In his early sentences, Deputy Deenihan outlined the difficulty, namely, how to address a problem while at the same time staying at arm's length and remaining within the provisions of the law, which is a somewhat tricky assignment. I would be very concerned if the view were the one that has been expressed to him, namely, that matters are getting worse, which would be most unwelcome.

My understanding is that there is no provision in the establishment order for me, as Minister, to intervene directly in the day-to-day running of the organisation. There is perhaps a grey area in that regard and Deputy Deenihan has suggested there may be a requirement for legislative change. This is an issue I have not considered but, in view of what the Deputy has said, I will consider it.

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