Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Begg and thank him for his fairly comprehensive presentation.

I welcome Mr. Begg's appointment to the board. While I have huge reservations about the way we make appointments to these boards I believe Mr. Begg is the right man for the job at this time.

Did Mr. Begg’s membership of the board of Aer Lingus cause a problem in respect of the difference between what happened with the Irish Aviation Superannuation Scheme, IASS, and the Waterford Crystal pension scheme? Does he have any problem with dual board membership?

Trustees’ training is a major issue in pension schemes, given the large number there are and the role of the professional trustees. Does Mr. Begg intend to merge many of these schemes and develop training schemes, similar to those in the credit union movement, where people must have qualifications to serve on the boards? The professionals generally come from some of the big pension houses and sometimes, because of the lack of training, voluntary members of the board become subservient to them. Does Mr. Begg have any comment on that?