Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 3: To ask the Taoiseach his plans to alter the functions of the communications unit in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37095/06]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 4: To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the communications unit within his Department; if it is intended that the unit will continue to work during the period following the dissolution of Dáil Éireann in 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38684/06]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 5: To ask the Taoiseach his plans to change the role of the communications unit in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39992/06]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 6: To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the communications unit within his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40254/06]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 7: To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the communications unit in his Department. [42770/06]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 to 7, inclusive, together.

I have no plans to alter the functions of the communications unit in my Department. The unit will continue to work during the period following the dissolution of the 29th Dáil as it did following the dissolution of the 28th Dáil.

The unit operates on an apolitical basis and only deals with the Government Press Office and the press offices of the various Departments. It has no contact with Government backbenchers or other Deputies. The staff of the unit are subject to the usual conventions that apply to civil servants in respect of political impartiality at all times. I am satisfied they will continue to observe these conventions in the performance of their work.

The unit provides a media information service to Ministers and their Departments. It furnishes news updates and transcripts that ensure Departments are kept informed in a fast and efficient manner of any relevant news developments. In this way, Departments are able to provide a better service to the public.

The communications unit works an 18 hour day based on a flexible rota of three working shifts. The unit is staffed by six established civil servants, five of whom are seconded from other Departments. The work of the unit means Departments have greatly reduced their use of external companies and ensures they no longer duplicate work such as transcripts and tapes.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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I like the hypothesis that the communications unit is apolitical. I appreciate the staff are doing the job they are being asked to do so to that extent they are not driven by the same political motivations as a Deputy or party worker but the work carried out by the unit, however, is ostensibly for the Government and, therefore, supports Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrat policy positions. Does the communications unit deal with either party's headquarters in the course of the Government work the Taoiseach outlined? Is it not reasonable, given the apolitical nature of the unit, that it would deal with all national public representatives in terms of feedback from the communications it monitors?

I am interested in finding out the definition of apolitical. Is it the same as the way non-electoral activity happens before the three week run-up to the election and has nothing to do with it? It is difficult to gauge where apolitical ends and political starts. Does the Taoiseach agree there is a political dimension to this work and, therefore, all parties should benefit from it?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The unit has no dealings with the headquarters of any political party as that would be totally inappropriate. For that matter, it has no dealings with Ministers and Ministers of State, it deals with the press offices of Departments. Its work during election periods is to send information to a Department and it is likely the Minister and Minister of State will be there. Other than that I would not change any of its functions.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Did the Taoiseach mean to say the communications unit has no contact with Ministers? I understand it does and I understand why it does.

The question is what happens in the course of a general election. Officeholders already enjoy a significant advantage by definition. During the course of an election campaign, although Deputies are no longer Members of this House, Ministers continue in their positions with access that is unavailable to those on this side of the House. Is the communications unit not supporting the infrastructure of ministerial involvement which, by definition, in an election campaign is politically partisan?

The question arises of that work being declared to the Commission on Standards in Public Office as a relevant payment. The unit costs around €350,000 per annum and whatever about the political impartiality of the good civil servants working in it, and I do not question that, the work in the context of an election in supporting and briefing Ministers is very political indeed.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The communications unit takes the daily news from the national broadcasting agencies and presents it to the Departments; Ministers and Ministers of State would then receive that. Individual Ministers look for reports from the unit through their own staff but it has no political purpose. It is not engaged in political activity on any given day. The unit provides information to a huge range of senior departmental officials. No political gain or benefit accrues to a politician from this unit either inside or outside an election period. Individual press offices in the political system gather their own information and notes, but the information gathered by this unit either inside or outside an election period is not of a political nature. There tends to be less activity in a Department during an election period and, therefore, the unit would be less busy because Departments may not seek as much information when the House is in recess. The unit's work at any time is not of a political nature and it is used only by Departments.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The question arises, if no benefit is conferred on Ministers, what is the point of the exercise in the first place. The information being conveyed and the fact of the communication is to brief and support Ministers and make them aware of what is being said, including by the Opposition, and so no. That benefit is not available to Deputies Sargent and Kenny, to me or any other Opposition Member. Has the Taoiseach sought a view from the commission, for example, on whether these transactions have no political content, particularly during a general election?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have not done that. If I wanted to find out what anybody said on a political issue, I would ask my press office to check that rather than examining the nuanced report on the first 15 items of a news bulletin. That is not a great political issue and it would probably be quicker to listen to the news headlines. The unit does not provide any political benefit whatsoever, particularly during an election. It performs a useful function in providing the news reports to the entire Civil Service system and to Ministers and Ministers of State. When Departments seek information on what was said during programmes and transcripts of programmes, they contact the unit, which produces them, and that is of benefit because if Departments were to do this, they would use an external agency. The unit provides a useful service without any political connotation. Its work is produced by civil servants and I assure the Deputy they do not provide blow by blow insights into the political nature of issues. If I was trying to get a feel for what Deputies Rabbitte, Kenny or Sargent were saying about me, I would not check with the Civil Service.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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They do not get the nuance.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, might want to know what I was saying about him before he writes about it in his Sunday newspaper column.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Why let the facts get in the way?

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Who writes the column for him?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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If the unit has no political connection, can we take it that it will close during the forthcoming general election campaign? What value does the Taoiseach see in having such a unit?

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will have other things on his mind.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Will the unit's staff call the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Sean Power, during the campaign to inform him they are talking about him in Wexford and he needs to issue a press release about that? Will the unit be closed during the general election?

The Taoiseach has always made the point that the unit saves Departments approximately €200,000 annually, yet its projected cost for 2006 is €352,626. The Taoiseach is spending €350,000 to save €200,000. There are many examples showing financial management to be a weakness in some Departments, so how does he justify this, if it is merely a floating information service? Will the communications unit be closed during the forthcoming election so people can see there is no political element to it? Cost is another issue with savings of €200,000 contrasting with costs of €350,000.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Civil Service is not closing down during the election and the communications unit is part of the Civil Service structure. Before the communications unit, a range of news agencies made a small killing from Departments by collecting information from media sources and selling it on. It was a good service but it is now done by a unit within the Civil Service. The information provided by news programmes is made available throughout the Civil Service and it is good that the various information units within the Civil Service know what is being said and done. Deputies are welcome to go and have a look at the communications unit. I do not think they will find it of huge political benefit, but it provides a good service to Departments and agencies, though one would not use it as one's press office.