Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The positions of Secretary General and second Secretary General to the Department of the Taoiseach were traditionally filled by the Government without reference to TLAC. The new TLAC is just taking up office and all competitions are now open to external expressions of interest.

My responsibility as Head of Government is to oversee, encourage, motivate and participate in respect of Ministers' responsibilities to ensure the Government's programme is actually implemented. The political challenge ahead is to get to a point when we are in charge again of our own economic affairs. This means overseeing the Government in a way that deals with the fundamental problems of the country. Many people still do not appreciate the scale of just how far our country has slipped in terms of its economic management. We have to get back there.

Through the Economic Management Council comprising the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, the Tánaiste and myself and with access to every Ministry if it is necessary, and the other Cabinet committees, issues that might not normally be dealt with at Government level because of the number of issues that must be decided there can be dealt with through the Cabinet committee structure and then be brought to Government for final endorsement.

From the point of view of being open, I do not restrict questions from the Deputy to the Department of the Taoiseach. The Ceann Comhairle's office has a function in respect of Standing Orders so perhaps it is the way in which the questions were phrased.

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