Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The elements not available to the Minister in respect of the Secretary General are the lower rate of remuneration, the reduction to the lower grade and suspension without pay. The final level of sanction, as the Minister of State has said, is dismissal, which is a matter for government. The finance committee was informed by the Department of public expenditure and reform that, despite the Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Act 2005 currently under examination with regard to how disciplinary matters operate more broadly there is no intention to address the Secretaries General. I think this is about accountability. There is no reason for Secretaries General to be handled in any way differently. It is important because the buck stops with the Minister. The Minister is the one who has to face the public and be accountable. If you have somebody else in that Department making decisions and all that, and they are not accountable with the person who has to interface with the public there is something wrong and there is an opportunity here to rectify that.

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