Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is the correct role for the Secretary General and the relevant assistant secretary general.

A sum of €2.5 million has either been spent or is already committed to things like the self-employed campaign, Healthy Ireland, Project Ireland 2040 and some other initiatives. The other €2.5 million will be rebated to the Exchequer. It is anticipated that my Department will underrun in its spending. I have fewer advisers than the three previous taoisigh and mine is one of the few Departments that has reduced its budget this year. I anticipate that sum being remitted to the Exchequer, albeit there is always the possibility that one of the inquiries might cost more than we anticipated. We will have to bear that in mind towards the end of the year as these things are reconciled.

Deputy Micheál Martin mentioned advertorials, which featured two or three Fine Gael Senators who were selected candidates. As Deputies will know or should know from the report, all editors confirmed that they included those photographs on foot of their own decisions and were not asked or pressed to do so by anyone. That is, of course, in stark contrast to the false allegations that were made in the House. I regret that nobody has withdrawn any of quite a number of false allegations that were made regarding the SCU. I regret that we have not seen any Member withdraw those false allegations. It was also found in the report that no member of the Civil Service and no public servant breached the Civil Service code of conduct or favoured a political party in any way. Again, that was a false allegation that should be withdrawn by those who made it and who accused civil servants and public servants of engaging in political work or promoting the interests of one particular party.

I am afraid that I cannot advise Deputy Burton on the particular supplement in The Irish Times. Certainly, it returns to what was commonly done before the SCU was ever invented, which was for Departments to have inserts and supplements in newspapers.

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