Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 7, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following:

""Standards in Public Office Commission" means the commission established by section 21 of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 (as amended by the Standards in Public Office Act 2001);".

Having examined the Bill, the amendment is relevant and useful. I mean no disrespect to people on the boards of bodies or agencies. It never does any harm to apply the same principles as apply to public representatives. As time goes by, more and more responsibility is handed over to agencies and other bodies, or quangos, as the late former Minister, Brian Lenihan, used to call them. I do not think he was being complimentary in using that word and he had a deep-rooted suspicion of all such bodies. Being the parliamentarian he was, he felt it was never any harm to rigorously apply the same rules to us humble public representatives. We have our faults and do not always achieve the highest standards we would like, but that is the way things are. That is life and it is a true reflection of humanity.

It would do no harm to interpose the amendment as suggested. The Minister is not in an accommodating mood. It must be because of the football match last week — was it Australian rules football? The Minister should not be negative as we do not seek to trap him. In fact, he might one day find himself on this side of the House feeling lucky that he accepted certain amendments.

I propose the amendment and await the Minister and other Members' responses.

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