David Norris (Independent)

I was very interested in the Minister's argument that a chief executive who spoke out against policy would be implementing policy with which he disagreed. The danger is that the Government will not be aware that a chief executive is implementing policy with which he does not agree. This is a corrosive and corrupting feature of the public service.

I hope the spirit of generosity the Minister has shown during the passage of the Bill will prevail and he will accept the amendments tabled by some of my colleagues. It is better to know somebody is disagreeing with one's policy because he or she could implement it in a half-hearted manner or resort to "Yes, Minister" type tactics. I would much prefer to know if my chief executive had problems. One listens if they are reasonable and fires them, as Senator Feargal Quinn said, if they are not.