Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is concerned about the complications. He thinks some of us will be running onto the plinth denouncing him over this amendment. We all had representations from the Law Society and Mandate trade union. It is their democratic right to lobby us as Members of the Oireachtas to protect their jobs and their terms and conditions, and good luck to them. I stand up for them today and make no apologies for it. It is very important that the Minister does not get carried away with the independence issue. I have heard it from my colleagues here. There will be standards and procedures when one applies for these positions, but these experienced staff have great skills that might not necessarily be out there in the broader society among other people applying for the positions. They are a highly skilled group of people and should be transferred to the authority.

In case the Minister is still feeling ethical and is really worried about undermining the independence of the authority, I offer the example of my previous job as a primary school teacher. Many teachers become inspectors in the Department of Education and Science and they go around assessing primary and secondary school teachers. Some even go on to become members of the Teaching Council. There are examples of this. It is time for the Minister to get real. This is about administrative staff who are highly skilled people, and I strongly support the transfer of these 16 positions to the authority. These people should be given the option to fill the positions and not be made redundant. The Minister does not have to worry. I will not be pirouetting around the plinth in the next couple of days on this issue.