Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I have the answered the question. There seems to be an assumption in the Deputy's question that all aspects of Cabinet have to be doled out to every committee or that the committee covers all of the role of the Cabinet. The Cabinet meets weekly and it is the place where the decisions are taken. The function of Cabinet committees arises where there are policy issues to be discussed in preparation for Cabinet discussions, in finalising positions between Departments or where there are varying views between Departments that need to be heard, discussed and resolved, or where some political input is required to progress the issue and get it to Cabinet with a view to having an outcome that is a coherent decision - that is what the process is about. There are weekly Cabinet meetings and, from time to time, as work is required or an issue arises, a committee is called. We do not just have meetings for the sake of having them. We have them if there is an issue to be resolved, and they are in place for that purpose.

With regard to employment, I made the point to the Deputy that the Cabinet committee on economic renewal was established to focus on the key policies and programmes necessary to ensure an appropriate and cohesive response to the scale of the challenges facing the economy. Out of that emerged the Government's smart economy framework for sustainable economic renewal. The committee continues to oversee implementation of plans for a return to growth within the parameters of our five-year consolidation programme for restoring stability to the public finances.

With regard to banking matters, I have explained that those issues are dealt with in the main at Cabinet. There are issues that are ongoing on a daily, monthly and weekly basis. Cabinet meets every week and sometimes it meets twice a week, depending on what it is we have to discuss.

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