Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The issue we debated on that and other occasions was that after an election it was the practice of all Governments, whether they changed, to fill positions on State boards. There may be some urgent ones but I do not think that generally such boards should be packed in that interregnum period. On filling positions on boards as they arise, on a daily or weekly basis, they have to be filled and it would be wrong not to fill them. State boards cover many different areas and have to be filled on an ongoing basis. There are two different things here, however. There are 400 vacant positions to be filled, many of which are on nominating bodies, as the Deputy will be aware from the reply to the questions. They are nominated by various organisations and bodies, but even if they were not, ordinary day-to-day departmental procedures must be adopted. The interregnum period is a different matter so my view still holds.

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