Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I am not objecting to any of those amendments but at the core of the potential dilemma the Government may face with these twin Departments is, on the one hand, identifying what is to be spent and, on the other hand, having the authority to spend. I understand the logic of retaining the Secretary General of the Department of Finance as the Accounting Officer and that is logical but I hope there will be singularity of purpose and view as between the Minister and his twin brother, as it were, the Minister, Deputy Noonan, in the Department of Finance on these matters and, whatever about political controversy, that it does not become a source disruption or create a logjam in resourcing and financing front line services in particular.

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