Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On the issue of diversity, there is no suggestion that there would be legal or political interference in lay appointments, which appears to be the Minister's interpretation. It is more a sense that there is a degree of inertia among the types of persons who are sometimes appointed to State boards. While they are often competent and capable individuals, as many Deputies from all political backgrounds who have experience of State boards will agree, these boards are not as diverse as we would like them to be.

As Deputy Clare Daly stated, we are asking the PAS to cast the net wider. The Minister made a number of criticisms, most of which do not apply to amendment No. 50. I should clarify that the Minister's specific criticism of amendment No. 50 is inaccurate. He indicated the proposal seeks to remove the criteria for lay appointments set out in subsection 7. The new subsection (10), proposed in amendment No. 50, provides that the persons appointed under the diversity and inclusion panel would be subject to the same criteria as those laid out in subsection (8) of the new section. These are the same criteria as those set down in section 15(7) of the current text. As such, the same criteria would apply and the Minister's criticism of the proposed amendment is inaccurate.