Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

I support the Green Party's amendment which seeks to allow the educational institutions and people with training in the area to be represented on the council. Like Deputy Ó Caoláin, I expect that all members of the council would have an interest, at least, experience and some knowledge of their role and value, and that the Minister would require some level of qualification, interest and experience in respect of the nominees to the council. For the Minister to say that just three people should have qualifications, interests and experience that would be of value to the council means that six need not have qualifications, interests or experience to be on the council. I am surprised the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children is involved in such a proposal. I am surprised the Minister of State has proposed it here because of the implications for what Fianna Fáil might do. I thought the Progressive Democrats would not accept such a suggestion because of the various appointments by their partners in the past to various bodies. I expected a higher level of ethical approach to such issues by the Progressive Democrats. While I may say this with some level of sarcasm, I am also raising a genuine query in this regard. The Minister of State will probably understand my concerns given that just three of the nine appointees will be required to have qualifications, interests and experience. It appears like Fianna Fáil was going out of Government and they were making a whole lot of appointments before they leave.

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