Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

From experience, I expect the detail of the legislation to include a provision for five years. That is what ties in with the local authority. Normally, a local authority is not allowed to appoint a person who exceeds its term of office. The new council will have a life of five years and the next council has the right to appoint. The structure of appointments will involve the same mechanism. The same people may very well be appointed, or the same groups will be the source of appointments while the individuals change. It is a good thing to bring in new blood every five years, but not a total change. There should be some continuity, especially on a body that will last for ten, 15 or 20 years. It will be a matter for the nominating groups to provide for that continuity rather than the local authority.