Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

Does he also agree that when a Deputy asks a question he asks it of the Minister, not the Department? The Department of Health and Children has more than 500 staff. Does he accept there would be nothing wrong with the Minister allocating a small number of them to answer parliamentary questions with them having secured information from the HSE? That is the issue at stake here. Ministers must respect the right to ask a parliamentary question and the responsibility to give a full and comprehensive reply. Would the Minister of State agree that it is very noticeable that the reply to a question that comes up at No. 23 in the lottery is far shorter than the reply to a question that comes up at No. 2 in the lottery? That shows that this is an abuse of parliamentary democracy. Regardless of whether we have reform in the Dáil, it is a matter for the guardians of democracy in this country, namely, the Executive, to ensure that proper answers are given to parliamentary questions. Would he agree that there is a moral obligation on every Minister to supply a proper answer to a parliamentary question? Would he agree that this is not the case at present?

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