I accept that, but since the Minister is appointing members of Fine Gael to his office, can he tell us if there has been any change in the rule that forbade civil servants above the rank of clerical officer from taking part in political activities?

Sin ceist eile.

All I can say is that the House is being insulted deliberately by the Minister.

You, Sir, have told the House often that you have no control over Ministers' answers, but surely you have control in regard to what is the obvious changing of a question and when a Minister infers that a date was written in though that was not the case?

It is the content over which I have no control.

In this case there was an effort to re-write the question.

Perhaps the effort was to re-write the answer.

May I have an answer to my question about the rule forbidding civil servants above the level of clerical officer to engage in political activities? Is that rule still in existence?

The proper reply to that question would be very educational but it should be directed to a different Minister.

I shall address it to the Minister for the Public Service, I might get a straight answer from him.