Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

While I was listening to the contributions I looked at section 8 again. In fairness to me, I thought it was quite well drafted. I accept the Tánaiste's point about the nomination from the Probation Service. As a result, I will withdraw amendment No. 18. It is inappropriate, as I have suggested, to try to get around that by getting the Irish Prison Service to nominate the person.

Amendment No. 12 accommodates Deputy Wallace's concern about a lay community representative, as it includes such a representative. I agree, however, it is a board that requires expertise. I know Deputy Daly's concern in respect of trying to get everyone nominated in a transparent and open way. My assessment of trying to get people to serve on public boards, and I do not have the experience of other people here, is that it is hard to get decent people to serve. If we have a process whereby people have to apply for a competition and, as the Minister said, every probation officer has to apply for a competition and has to be separately interviewed, after which an individual will be selected, it would make it very complicated, in my opinion. Maybe in a different society it would be appropriate, but it would make it extremely complicated to get membership of the board in this way. The method we have in section 8 at present is that four people will be nominated by the Public Appointments Service and other individuals will be nominated by representative bodies, such as the Irish Penal Reform Trust, a probation officer, the Prison Service, a garda, a psychologist and the psychiatrists will nominate a person. There will be a good mix there, and the Minister will also have a role in it. If we hand over everything to the Public Appointments Service we could have it electing the Taoiseach at the end of the day. We have to have some political involvement in it.