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

I want to ask the Minister about retired judges. I am aware that the programme for Government has said there would be a lay majority and a lay chairman of the commission but perhaps the Minister will give his own personal and political opinion. Does he think it is a good idea that retired judges are excluded from membership of this commission? Consider the fact that we go to retired judged to chair commissions of investigation - as Deputy Wallace has said - and we go to retired judges to ask them to chair tribunals of inquiry. One would think that they would be qualified for this role and would be good at assessing who would make a good judge. I would appreciate if the Minister did not say what is in the programme for Government. I am asking him for his own political and personal view; does he think it is a good idea that his legislation expressly excludes retired judges from membership of a judicial appointments commission?