Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I do not accept that the staff were wrong, nor do I accept their attitude was cavalier. A new Secretary General was appointed to the new Department of public expenditure and reform. A new Secretary General has been appointed to the new Department of Children and Youth Affairs and a second Secretary General has been appointed to the Department of the Taoiseach, with specific responsibility for economic management control and matters relevant to the Tánaiste and me in dealing with European matters. I am glad that Deputy Martin sees the merit in the appointee announced today, who he referred to as high quality and high calibre. The Government will make an appointment shortly in respect of the current Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach and Secretary to the Government.

As the Deputy is well aware, a good deal of activity has been going on in the past few months. The Government agreed that the current Secretary General should continue until the end of July. The Deputy can take it, therefore, that between this and then the Government will make a new appointment to the Office of the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach.

These appointments are critical in the sense of understanding the mechanisms and the working of Government. The position in so far as persons from outside the existing public service being eligible to be appointed as Secretaries General does and can apply, depending on those who submit an expression of interest or who are deemed to be appropriate and suitably qualified.

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