Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy is an experienced parliamentarian. The questions on decentralisation tabled to my Department relate to my Department. The Department with responsibility and with all the information and wider detail on this, as he knows, is the Department of Finance. I recall when I was in that Department the Deputy had many questions to ask when I had the information in front of me. The fact that one is Taoiseach does not mean one is involved in the running of every Department.

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