Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

A number of Departments take the view that a person employed therein as an accountant should act as an accountant, a person designated an economist should act as an economist and a lawyer should act as lawyer. In my view, these skills should be more widely defused throughout the public service in the general grades as distinct from the specialised grades. This matter is under examination in my Department.

On the other criticism made in the article to which Deputy Bruton referred, there appears to be a suggestion that one can confuse the responsibility of the Minister and that of the civil servant to the extent that the civil servant must warn the Minister every time he or she makes a decision that he or she may be wrong. I do not believe that is possible under our system.

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