Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

When I came into the Department I was asked in an interview about my role as Minister. On most occasions the media focus on policy changes and I believe in policy changes, but I have often said that if someone owned a factory which had a good policy but was not producing the goods, the factory would not last very long and it certainly would not give a good service. If someone had a restaurant that had a policy of having the best organic food but was not producing or cooking that food very well, it would not have many customers. Similarly, it is not good enough for the Department of Social Protection to have a good policy. I fully agree with the Senator and I have said from the outset that delivery of the service to the punter on the ground is essential because the person who goes into an office looking for a payment does not worry too much about the policy. They just want to know when they will get a cheque and how much they will get in the cheque.