Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 7:

In page 8, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following:

“(12) Persons being proposed by the Minister for appointment as chairperson, the deputy chairperson and the ordinary members of the Board shall be required to make themselves available to the Committee to discuss the approach which they will take to their role as Board members and their views about the future contribution of the Board.

The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that the health committee and other committees have a role in interacting with and scrutinising members of the board. We could debate all day how every one of us wants the right people to end up on the board. We are all as one on that, albeit we may have different views about how the right person will end up on the board.

Recently, we saw the appointment and reappointment of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board. We have had many discussions on that and what constitutes a competency-based board. When an issue arises with the board and with the HSE, we tend to have to raise that with the Minister, but there is a role for the Oireachtas in hearing from persons who are proposed by the Minister so that Deputies can discuss the approach they would take in their role and help us understand how they intend to approach their role on the board. We would like to have some involvement in that engagement. One might say that I would say this, but this is a sensible proposal. In the interests of transparency I hope that the Minister of State, notwithstanding what was previously indicated, is in a position to accept the amendment. If she is not able to accept it, perhaps she might recommend that the Minister give it consideration.