Vol. 441 No. 1
60 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Finance, in view of his desire to improve the accessibility of Government Departments to the public, the reason no Government Departments currently provide freefone telephone access to the public; and the steps, if any, he will take to encourage such access.
Government Departments having regular direct dealings with members of the public currently operate under an "administrative budget" system under which the managements of individual Departments have considerable autonomy in determining how the moneys allocated to them for administration — including telephone costs — can be most effectively deployed. As administrative budgets were introduced, inter alia, as a means of enhancing managerial discretion in, and responsibility for, the management of allocated resources, it is a matter for departmental managements to determine when and, in what circumstances, freefone arrangements would represent the most effective and efficient means of providing a service to the public.
I might mention for the Deputy's information that the Department of the Marine already provides a year-round, 24 hour a day freephone service on safety at sea.
