Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

The Taoiseach is at the centre of this. He chairs the Cabinet sub-committee and has a unit in his Department that monitors progress. If the Taoiseach asks a Minister or a senior official why they have not delivered on a programme or target to which they are committed, they tend to respond. They say biting with the president's teeth. The most effective accountability, as we have seen in other countries, is when public servants, including Ministers, are brought to account by their political leader on why they have not delivered on a commitment. That is the most effective monitoring and accountability one can have in our system. It works.

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