Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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117. To ask the Taoiseach if he has made changes to sections of his Department since assuming office. [39098/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Since assuming the office of Taoiseach, I have appointed four Ministers of State to portfolios in my Department:

Joe McHugh, TD, is Government Chief Whip;

Helen McEntee, TD, has responsibility for European Affairs;

Paul Kehoe, TD, has responsibility for Defence; and

Pat Breen, TD, has responsibility for Data Protection.

In addition, I have made changes to the Cabinet Committee structure which supports the work of Government. The Cabinet Committees I will chair are as follows:

- Cabinet Committee A (Economy);

- Cabinet Committee B (Social Policy and Public Services);

- Cabinet Committee C (European Union including Brexit);

- Cabinet Committee D (Infrastructure);

- Cabinet Committee E (Health); and

- Cabinet Committee F (National Security).

I have also established a Strategic Communications Unit in my Department. The purpose of the Unit is twofold:

- to create a coherent, citizen-oriented, cross-government strategic communications capability to inform the public of their entitlements, of what Government is doing, and of how their money is being spent; and

- to deliver effective vertical and horizontal flows of information, analysis and assessment to enhance the capacity of all Government assets to operate collectively, coherently, strategically and with focus.

All staff from the Government Information Service have been reassigned to this Unit. Appropriate resources will be allocated to successfully operate the Unit which will be cost neutral to the exchequer; with staff and funds to be allocated from within existing resources.