Derek McDowell (Labour)

I will start off our trenchant opposition to this appalling section.

The section eliminates the need for a notice in Iris Oifigiúil in relation to the delegation of the functions of the Minister or the Secretary General. On the face of it this appears quite reasonable but unfortunately it creates doubt as to who exactly is dealing with a particular application. My understanding of the current procedure in the bigger Departments is that principal officers are the designated officers for applications which affect their particular sections. Everyone knows this and it is clear – the name usually appears on the initial response people get. People then know who is dealing with the application from the start until the initial decision is made.