Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am asking in a roundabout way whether the Minister is satisfied that there is a robust independent assessment process, but I will ask more directly to get a more direct answer. We have experts and State agencies such as Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, and Science Foundation Ireland, but it seems that when one goes through the whole process, ultimately the Minister is the one who decides whether a funding application is successful. From that perspective, will the Minister override the opinions of the experts, including those from Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, and Science Foundation Ireland, in the assessment process or is there a clear guideline of what can be presented to the Minister and his or her officials to make a decision? That is clearly the issue. There must be absolute integrity as these can also have commercial implications.

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