Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

The Minister's reply was interesting. Normally, the distribution of grades in a Department is a pyramid when graphed. The Minister's Department seems to be more of a cylinder. If it was an Army unit, the Minister would be accused of having far too many officers and too few soldiers.

Are there staff in the Department who have been seconded from the private financial sector? If so, how many, what are the terms of their secondment and what protocols has the Minister in place to avoid conflicts of interest?

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