Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

The Minister is responsible for the Department. In our constitutional system, the Minister is always responsible for the conduct of the business of a Department, and responsible and accountable to this House for how the business of the Department is transacted. Of course, in some matters, that can be pushed to an absurdity where a Minister is criticised because a set of paper clips was ordered which was a waste, or whatever. Clearly, the Minister does not authorise expressly the purchase of paper clips in a Department.

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