Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Bruton has ranged far and wide in terms of the questions he asked. In response to his final question, I did read the articles on the performance of my Department. The senior officials of my Department have in recent years worked extremely hard and diligently in difficult circumstances. That has been my personal direct experience of the Department. I am sure Deputies Bruton and Burton would share that perception. The best way therefore to read the article in question is in terms of identifying what deeper structural issues arise in the criticism made of all Departments, including the Department of Finance, which require to be addressed. I agree with the article in one respect, namely, that the cult of the generalist has been glorified in our public services to an extent that the development of specialised knowledge and information is an important issue in Departments.

For example, I had to go outside conventional recruitment procedures to recruit a bank analyst for my Department. The question of the ongoing development of suitable skills in different Departments that pertain to the core activities of those Departments is equally important.

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