ZIMMERMAN, Joseph F <br/><br/>
The changing roles of the irish department secretary 

 - malden, MA :  Blackwell Publishers,  nov./dec.1997 
<br/><br/> What is the relationship between the minister, who has legal responsibility for a department, and the secretary, the permanent, principal officer, in parliamentary system? Josep F. Zimmerman reviewed the literature and interviewed sitting and retired secretaries and former ministers in the republic of ireland. Employing four models, the author examines the legal and informal relationships that exist between a minister and a secretary  and the political culture within which they operate. The changing roles of the secretary and the impact of the top-level appointments committee are analyzed with particular emphasis on the policy advice role of the secretary. The author conlcudes that the policy advice role has declined; the secretary is primarily a coordinator of the activities of the various divisions within the department, and a cooperation model explains the relationship between a minister and a secretary.