8 Mr. Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether some social welfare officers are supplied with cameras; if so, the reason therefor; and if there are regulations governing their use.

Social welfare officers employed by my Department are not supplied with cameras. There are, consequently, no regulations in place governing the use of cameras.

Good man, Michael.

First, I congratulate Deputy McCreevy on his appointment as Minister for Social Welfare. I am very pleased to note that cameras are not being used in investigations of a person's eligibility for different social welfare benefits. There was a general feeling in the community that such a practice was carried out and I am very pleased to be reassured by the Minister that this is not a feature of the investigations.

I thank my good friend Deputy Moynihan for wishing me the best of luck. The Deputy has represented south Kerry very well over a long number of years. The people may have been confused by some activities of the special investigations unit in the Kerry area. People may have been confused by the radios that these special investigators were using and thought they were cameras.