Vol. 497 No. 3
11 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Taoiseach the number of civil servants in his Department allocated full-time or part-time to servicing the needs of Independent Deputies who have made commitments to support the Government; if the number is to be increased in view of the recent decision of Deputy Tom Gildea; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24580/98]
One higher executive officer, attached to my office, has been designated as the liaison person with the Independent Deputies who support the Government. This arrangement will include Deputy Gildea and there are no proposals to provide additional staff for this purpose. As I have already explained, the officer also assists the Chief Whip in his dealings with all independent Deputies in the Dáil as well as fulfilling other duties in the Taoiseach's office.
