Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to make a point on amendments Nos. 29 and 30 and also fixtures because it is the same. Some of the comments that have been made here are very reflective of comments one would hear in the industry in general, that HRI is the big baddie, that it is not flexible, it does not listen and it has its own agenda. That perception is out there in the industry and it has been reflected by some of the comments here this morning. Surely everything we are doing is about challenging that perception and making the board more accountable. I accept the Minister's point that we always listen to experts from outside and the grass is greener on the other side, but those experts are not answerable to anybody. It is not about accepting that there are deficiencies in the board and looking for somebody from outside to fix our problems, but instead having confidence in the people appointed to this board, by the Minister and others, and trusting them to do the job. They are then answerable for that. There are safeguards in this because if the Minister of the day is not happy with the decisions made, he or she can ask questions, and HRI is the accountable body that will come before the committee and answer for its actions through its chair.