John Bruton
Question:1 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach whether is is the intention to introduce legislation to provide for the Office of Tánaiste.
Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Office of the Tánaiste.
No specific legislation is required to provide for the Office.
What is the statutory base of the Office?
The Office is similar to many that have been established in recent years, for example the Office for Women's Affairs that was set up when Deputy Bruton was in Government, the Office of Science and Technology and the Office of the Minister of State with special responsibility for food. A whole range of Offices were established for which no specific legislation was required.
Therefore, the Tánaiste's position is equivalent to that of a junior Minister, as those offices were all offices set up for junior Ministers.
The Tánaiste's position is the constitutional Office of the Tánaiste.
What functions of the Taoiseach's Department are being delegated to the Tánaiste? Will the Tánaiste have a separate Estimate for his activities and expenses?
Expenses of the Office are provided for in a special Vote contained in the Book of Estimates which will be published this evening. The Deputy will recall that during the 1982-86 Government, with which I am sure he is familiar, the expenses of the Office for Women's Affairs were provided for in a subhead in the Taoiseach's Vote. The Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Tánaiste is the accounting officer so there will be a separate Vote and questions can be put down to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs in relation to the administration of that Office.
Will the Taoiseach itemise the functions hitherto exercised by his Department that are now being delegated to this Office?
I have stated those functions on a number of occasions but I will do so again, if the Deputy wishes. The role and functions of the Office will encompass briefing and advising the Tánaiste generally on all Government policy matters; representing the Government on the new National Economic and Social Forum and thereby ensuring direct liaison through the Tánaiste between the forum and the Government; joint responsibility, together with the Minister of State and Chief Whip attached to my Department, for the implementation of the provisions under the heading "Broadening our Democracy" which are contained in our Programme for a Partnership Government, 1993-97; representing the Tánaiste on a committee of programme managers to monitor the implementation of the programme for Government; representing the Tánaiste on the Central Review Committee under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress any successor to that committee under any further such programme and representing the Tánaiste on the Interdepartmental Committee on the Co-ordination of EC Affairs. That committee will continue to be chaired by the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for European Affairs, Deputy Tom Kitt. He is also Minister of State at my Department. Staff are currently being recruited for the Office for which provision will be made in a separate Vote.
Will the Taoiseach agree that the list of functions he has read out for the Tánaiste do not differ much from the terms of appointment of the secretary in an existing Office?
I do not understand what the Deputy is saying. The Office is being headed by an assistant secretary.
Will the Taoiseach indicate how many staff are being recruited for this Office and whether they are being recruited from within the public service? Will additional recruitment outside the public service be required to staff this Office and, if so, how many extra public servants will be recruited?
The staff are being recruited only in that area and, in so far as possible, they will be redeployed from within the Civil Service. The Deputy is free to put down questions to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs in due course on the matter.
If no legislation is being introduced, presumably, we can take it there is no Department of the Tánaiste? Who will report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the spending associated with the Office of the Tánaiste?
As I stated, the accounting officer will be the assistant secretary heading that Department and the Deputy is correct in regard to the first part of his question.
Will the Taoiseach agree that it would be more efficient and cheaper for the taxpayer if he had agreed to rotate his job as Taoiseach rather than set up this false position of Office of the Tánaiste?
I would have thought that, even at this late stage, Deputies opposite would have recognised that, under the Constitution, that there is no such thing as a rotating Taoiseach.
Are we to take it that all the magnificent panoply in regard to this Office — the title and the ego-boosting involved in its establishment — took place in order to oversee the activities of the Minister of State, Deputy Dame Eithne Fitzgerald and the NESC, her "peeping Tom" legislation about Ferdinand Marcos and such latter day people, and some of the activities of the Minister of State, Deputy Kitt? Is the Tánaiste going to oversee the activities of one and half Ministers of State? Is that the extent of it?
It is difficult to know what sort of answer Deputy Dukes expects to that. I have read out all the functions. I have said there will be a departmental Vote, that Deputies will have the opportunity to table questions to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs in relation to that Vote and I cannot be more forthcoming.
Will the Taoiseach indicate the main differences between the role and position of Tánaiste as constituted in this Government and that of the Tánaiste who operated in the previous Government, and the cost involved?
The Tánaiste's role is outlined in the Constitution. The Office of Tánaiste has been set up in this partnership Government to ensure full co-operation between the two partners in Government. The Office will be briefed fully on all Government activities before they take place and——
We do not believe a word of it.
——if Deputies opposite do not believe that this will be a successful partnership they had better settle down and recognise reality.
(Interruptions.)
Question No. 2 in the name of Deputy Deenihan.