Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

The Taoiseach's response on this issue is disingenuous, given the commission of inquiry legislation which is on the Statute Book which was used effectively in the Cloyne and Dublin inquiries. I would never have thought an Oireachtas inquiry would be suitable in this case. There is ample scope under the existing commission of inquiry legislation to investigate issues such as this professionally and effectively.

On the issue of early retirements, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, spent much of last year praising himself for revolutionising the public sector and strategically planning everything. In reality, there has been a complete failure to prepare strategically in terms of having contingency plans in place to cover vital services. I would appreciate an explanation of why transition teams were an after-thought.

It is clear the commitment to slim down the Taoiseach's Department to a British-style Cabinet Office has been abandoned. If anything, the Department is growing. The Taoiseach has stated the number of staff in his Department will grow to over 200 during Ireland's Presidency of the European Union. In this regard, he has used the baseline figure for 2008, which is becoming a habit. The Taoiseach's staff are good at news managment and spinning, which is admirable from a particular vantage point.

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