Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

That is not what the amendment seeks. The amendment seeks an account of the actions taken by the Minister. It matters not which Department, whether it is the Department of Finance or not. Section 9 states the functions of the Minister are to formulate and develop proposals to modernise and develop the public service, to make proposals to Government for the implementation of these policies, to co-ordinate the implementation of such policies, to conduct regular and periodic reviews of the implementation of such policies and to promote value for money. Those are the jobs the Minister must do under this legislation. It is fair to say that the Minister has been doing much of that up to now. What this amendment seeks to achieve is that the Minister would account to Parliament, the Dáil in particular, for what he has been doing on those functions up to now. The Minister of State's note is not related to the amendment. It does not matter where the Minister has been doing them. We know he is a Minister. He is a Minister under the Constitution appointed by the Dáil. We want to know what has he been doing because he has not had to answer parliamentary questions or answer for the work he has been doing. That is reasonable. It is not a question of which Department.