Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 1: To ask the Taoiseach the basis upon which the new second secretary of his Department will report to the Tánaiste for half of his or her responsibilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18385/11]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 2: To ask the Taoiseach the position regarding the appointment of secretaries general in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18392/11]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 3: To ask the Taoiseach if he has satisfied himself with the manner in which the vacancies of secretaries general in his Department was announced; the reason the original timescale was not adhered to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18393/11]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 4: To ask the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the filling of the positions of Secretary General and Second Secretary General in his Department. [18841/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 5: To ask the Taoiseach the progress made towards appointing a second Secretary General in his Department. [19716/11]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together.

In accordance with established practice, these are posts, the filling of which is a matter for the Government. Expressions of interest were sought and have been received for these posts. All suitable officers, irrespective of whether they have submitted an expression of interest, are considered before a decision is made by the Government.

The Government this morning appointed Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, currently Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland to the European Union, to be second Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach.

The new second Secretary General will support the operation of two new mechanisms at the centre of Government to enhance co-ordination and effectiveness in the critical areas of EU affairs and economic management. She will have responsibility for supporting the Government Economic Management Council, on which she will report to the Tánaiste, and will co-ordinate support for the Tánaiste in his engagement with whole-of-government issues, including Cabinet committee structures, through an Office of the Tánaiste within the Department of the Taoiseach.

The second Secretary General in discharging responsibility for EU co-ordination will report as appropriate to me and to the Tánaiste. She will be a member of the management advisory committee of my Department, reporting to the Secretary General of the Department.

My Department has a role in supporting the Government as a collective authority, and operates mechanisms for co-ordinating business across departmental boundaries, especially through Cabinet committees and their supporting groups of officials. It is in that spirit that the second Secretary General will provide support for me and for the Tánaiste in relevant areas, since in the EU area in particular we have distinct but closely related and complementary responsibilities. This is a pragmatic and cost-effective approach to supporting key leadership functions at the centre of Government and the precise working arrangements will develop in the normal way.

The period since the receipt of expressions of interest, which has been particularly busy as the Government progressed its urgent priorities, has provided an opportunity to clarify some of the issues that are likely to require particular time and attention over the term of this Government. It has also provided an opportunity to consider the particular qualities and experience likely to be of most value in discharging the duties of these important posts. Appointments to these posts are being made in the context of a considered view of how the machinery of government at the centre should operate. I expect the Government to appoint a new Secretary General to the Government and to my Department shortly.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Taoiseach for his response. I protest at the extraordinary number of questions transferred or disallowed. This is the culmination of a four-month effort by the Government effectively to undermine the status of questions to the Taoiseach. It is very disappointing to the Opposition. In the past number of months, unrelated questions were put together in large groups and specific points were ignored by the Taoiseach in his response. An aggressive approach has been taken to stopping questions. Four of my questions in this group on the same broad topic-----

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Any question disallowed is done in accordance with Standing Orders.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I have no function in that.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, the Taoiseach certainly does.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Taoiseach does not actually.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Taoiseach has been disallowing questions-----

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I do not disallow them.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Taoiseach was in touch with people telling them that certain questions are not for his Department.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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The decision on whether a question is disallowed concerns whether the question is in accordance with Standing Orders and it is my decision.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is an extraordinary desire on the part of the Taoiseach not to answer questions. Hence, they get referred to the Ceann Comhairle's office.

Seán Conlan (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Martin should withdraw that remark.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I repeat that the disallowing of questions is a matter for the Ceann Comhairle. It is not a matter for any Department, including the Department of the Taoiseach. I go out of my way to make certain that no question is disallowed unless it is clearly in breach of Standing Orders.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have four questions in this group on the same broad topic but I seek some specific points of information. I welcome the appointment of Geraldine Byrne-Nason as second Secretary General, who is a high calibre person, and I wish her well in her appointment. On 8 April, the Government briefed the media that the current Secretary General had been asked to step down a few months earlier because of what was termed, with typical understatement, a sweeping reform of the top of the Civil Service. On 22 June, it was announced that he had been asked to remain for a number of months. It was an early example of an announcement that was overspun and underdelivered. Can the Taoiseach accept that his staff were wrong in the way they briefed about the Secretary General's departure and that this cavalier approach has rebounded on them? In March, the second Secretary General post was supposed to have been filled by someone outside the system. Has the plan about appointing people from outside the system been completely abandoned?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I do not accept that the staff were wrong, nor do I accept their attitude was cavalier. A new Secretary General was appointed to the new Department of public expenditure and reform. A new Secretary General has been appointed to the new Department of Children and Youth Affairs and a second Secretary General has been appointed to the Department of the Taoiseach, with specific responsibility for economic management control and matters relevant to the Tánaiste and me in dealing with European matters. I am glad that Deputy Martin sees the merit in the appointee announced today, who he referred to as high quality and high calibre. The Government will make an appointment shortly in respect of the current Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach and Secretary to the Government.

As the Deputy is well aware, a good deal of activity has been going on in the past few months. The Government agreed that the current Secretary General should continue until the end of July. The Deputy can take it, therefore, that between this and then the Government will make a new appointment to the Office of the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach.

These appointments are critical in the sense of understanding the mechanisms and the working of Government. The position in so far as persons from outside the existing public service being eligible to be appointed as Secretaries General does and can apply, depending on those who submit an expression of interest or who are deemed to be appropriate and suitably qualified.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In terms of both the new Secretary General to the Department of the Minister, Deputy Howlin, and this appointment it is clear the Taoiseach did not facilitate outside appointments to those positions. What is his position on the broader range of the highest level of Government in terms of opening it up genuinely to outside competition and to people from outside of the system to apply for these positions?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is aware, as I outlined previously, that the TLAC is now chaired by an outside person and has a majority of outside personnel on it. In the context of capability and suitability, therefore, this process is very much more open than it used to be in previous years.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is not open to the people outside the system. That is the problem. Will it be open to people outside the public service?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Yes.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It has not been to date, despite all the Taoiseach's commitments and promises.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Yes, it has been to date but in these cases, Deputy-----

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I do not want to cut in on the other speakers.

First, some questions I have also put to the Taoiseach have been transferred to other Ministers which robs me of the opportunity of putting those questions directly to an fear féin. Ba mhaith liom "Go n-éirí an t-ádh leat" a rá leis an bhean a ghlacfaidh an post nua seo. There is a question, in terms of trying to open up all of this up, about whether any of these positions or any future senior positions in Government will be publicly advertised. Also, will this new Second Secretary General have responsibility for or in respect of the Economic Management Council and, in particular, how will the Dáil be kept informed of the work of the Economic Management Council?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Déarfaidh mé leis an Rúnaí Ginearálta nua go ndúirt an Teachta é sin sa Dáil agus gur chuir sé fáilte roimpi chuig an post nua atá bainte amach aici. The answer is that she will have responsibility for the Economic Management Council. As the Deputy is aware, that is a council which I chair and which is attended by the Tánaiste, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The agenda for that council meeting will be determined by the Tánaiste's office, together with the new Secretary General.

The Economic Management Council meets every week and decisions that are taken in the council go back to Government for final endorsement following which they become public knowledge. From that perspective, the new Second Secretary General in the Department of the Taoiseach will have direct responsibility for the administration and the running of the council.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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What I am trying to ascertain is not when they will become public knowledge because I find that I read more about what the Government is doing in the newspapers than I learn here in this Chamber. It is particularly difficult to get answers to questions around the work of Cabinet committees. On his first day in here the Taoiseach made a big play about opening the place up and making the Government more accountable to the Oireachtas. Has he had any thoughts on how an important committee such as this committee can be more open, particularly to people on the Opposition benches?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Cabinet committees such as this one are subject to the normal confidentiality that applies to Cabinet. They do not discuss the contents of the agenda or what is discussed at them. When decisions are made by the council, they are submitted to the Cabinet for formal adoption or are subject to changes that the Cabinet considers appropriate. The answer to the Deputy's question is that one does not discuss the content of items on the agenda of the council or any other Cabinet committee. They are subject to the normal rules of confidentiality. When decisions are finalised, they become public knowledge in the normal way. I would not regard everything one reads in the newspapers as being accurate in respect of what arises from discussions at Cabinet meetings or Cabinet committee meetings.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Some newspapers are more accurate than others from the Taoiseach's recollection.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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This is the nub of the matter because I want to believe what the Taoiseach says, or what he is reported as saying. The Taoiseach stated reporting will only occur when decisions have been taken. A committee returns to the Cabinet and it makes a decision, and then the public is told about that decision. What role does the Opposition have in keeping the Executive accountable in this new Dáil that the Taoiseach proclaims to be more open and transparent and more of a people's parliament?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is fulfilling that role now by asking questions in the House, to which Members are properly elected. Part of the Members' responsibility is to ask the questions they feel appropriate. It is the responsibility of the Government to be accountable to the House in respect of those questions.

Deputy Martin raised the question of the TLAC. It comprises-----

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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No, I did not.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I raised it in the context of the Deputy's question. The committee comprises a majority of external personnel. At each specific interview, the committee will comprise three external members and two senior public servants. With regard to all appointments, or recommendations for appointment, personnel outside the public sector will comprise a majority.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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To be fair to the Taoiseach, he has a very good habit of answering questions he was not asked and not answering questions he was asked.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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What is the Deputy's question?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My question was not about the composition of TLAC, which has always had external members when assessing applicants. The fundamental question I had concerns the very specific commitments made in advance of the election to the effect that all the posts in question would be opened up to people outside the public service who would be enabled to compete therefor. They have not been allowed to compete for the specific positions that are the subject matter of these questions.

Given that the Economic Management Council now covers such a broad area and is subject to Cabinet confidentiality, does the Taoiseach agree that he has, diaidh ar ndiaidh, extended the cover for his own Department and restricted the grounds upon which it can be questioned in Dáil Éireann? By virtue of the establishment of Cabinet sub-committees, particularly the Economic Management Council, is it not becoming far more challenging and difficult to ask specific questions about economic activity? Does the Taoiseach agree that, far from opening up government, he has extended the cloak of confidentiality over many more Government affairs, particularly in respect of his accountability as Taoiseach and the accountability of his office to the Dáil in regard to a wide range of issues? This goes to the heart of the debate on fundamental reform, the dichotomy between the Executive and the Parliament and the need to create a stronger Parliament, as articulated across the board before the election. If anything, the Parliament is becoming less strong and Executive is tightening its grip on setting the agenda and dictating the pace of policy formulation, etc.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The positions of Secretary General and second Secretary General to the Department of the Taoiseach were traditionally filled by the Government without reference to TLAC. The new TLAC is just taking up office and all competitions are now open to external expressions of interest.

My responsibility as Head of Government is to oversee, encourage, motivate and participate in respect of Ministers' responsibilities to ensure the Government's programme is actually implemented. The political challenge ahead is to get to a point when we are in charge again of our own economic affairs. This means overseeing the Government in a way that deals with the fundamental problems of the country. Many people still do not appreciate the scale of just how far our country has slipped in terms of its economic management. We have to get back there.

Through the Economic Management Council comprising the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, the Tánaiste and myself and with access to every Ministry if it is necessary, and the other Cabinet committees, issues that might not normally be dealt with at Government level because of the number of issues that must be decided there can be dealt with through the Cabinet committee structure and then be brought to Government for final endorsement.

From the point of view of being open, I do not restrict questions from the Deputy to the Department of the Taoiseach. The Ceann Comhairle's office has a function in respect of Standing Orders so perhaps it is the way in which the questions were phrased.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Cabinet confidentiality.