Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My amendments seek to introduce a greater balance. The board should not just be comprised of legal bigwigs and all of the rest or their organisations. A balanced board is better. I appreciate that there is a different way of considering this matter than what Deputy O'Callaghan has proposed. The gig is not exactly a popular one and people are not queuing up to join. I could not get on the board even against that background.

Finally, amendment No. 21 seeks to add to the list of criteria that must be satisfied before somebody can be considered for appointment to the parole board. It is important that members of the board have training or experience in interview techniques given that the contact with the person is based on report but a lot of it is based on a person's performance during an interview. People need to be qualified in how to assess the situation. They must be able to recognise when a person does a bad interview or does not represent himself or herself properly. It is a disempowering process for the applicant. Therefore, it is important that board members are skilled in how to draw people out in an interview process, particularly in the criminal justice system. Board members need common sense. A knee-jerk impression can cloud a person's judgment so board members need training. It is a complex issue. We need people who can see past their feelings. I agree with the parole board in its call for inservice training in interview techniques to be provided.