Mr. Brian Cowen:

Well I never ... I've never taken ministerial office in any Department, ever interfered in existing boards, whether they were of an Administration of which I was a member, or from a previous Administration of a different political configuration. In fact my record will show that I have reappointed, in some cases, people who are appointed by a predecessor from another party where I believed they were making a good contribution and had something to offer, including in chairmanships.