Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy English is right in saying that a lot of this is technical in nature. In response to the point raised by Deputy Doherty, the purpose is to allow additional expertise to be placed on the board. As was said, the sector is getting more streamlined and more professional and it is important that boards are able to bring in additional expertise where necessary or appropriate. The broad thrust of this is to provide the best enabling environment for credit unions and to allow them to make their own decisions thereafter. Different credit unions, by virtue of their size or their desire to develop, will take different approaches and we are simply trying to provide the best enabling environment, in consultation with all of the representative groups and the Central Bank, who have worked in a very collaborative way on this legislation. That is the purpose and that is the approach we have tried to take at every instance.