Attempts were made to include the Clerk of the Seanad on the commission when its composition was being decided. It was suggested that a failure to do so might be seen as an insult to the House, especially as the Clerk of the Dáil – the chief officer of another House – will be a member of the commission. It may be helpful to refute any such impression at this stage of proceedings. The Bill, as it stands, provides that the person who is currently the Clerk of the Dáil will become the Secretary General of the commission and that each of his successors will hold both jobs. This is not a dramatic innovation, but rather it is pretty close to the present situation. The Clerk of the Dáil has two distinct strands to his job. He functions as the clerk of a single House of the Oireachtas and, although he does not have a title to accompany it, he acts as the Civil Service head of the Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas.