Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This question relates to the role of the Ministers of State within the Department, particularly in light of the appointment of the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, whom I wish well in her job. I suppose there are a lot of questions about what everyone does in the Department. There have not been any delegation orders made. There is confusion about what exactly the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, will be doing. I also want to raise briefly the question of the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, having responsibility for school buses which, in my view, jars with the rest of his responsibilities. Someone, maybe from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, should be put into the Department of Education and Skills as well to deal with that issue.

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