Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Every Member of the House agrees that there should not be top-up payments. The policy is not being implemented and it will be a very difficult process to get to the bottom of this issue in every line Department. I know it is not the Minister's job to micro-manage Departments, but it is his job to ensure their Accounting Officers are doing theirs.

The Minister has said that in the past people did not know or care. A week ago at a meeting on the Estimates I asked him about possible top-up payments in the Institute of Public Administration and the Economic and Social Research Institute. I never suggested there were; I just wanted confirmation. However, the Minister did not know or care and could not answer the question. It has taken him eight days to answer it. He did not know or care about his own line Department until I put the question to him last week.

Does the Minister agree that we need legislation to deal with this matter to put it to bed once and for all?

See this speech in context