Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I have no objection to No. 6 which is the appointment of the chairperson of the Standards in Public Office Commission, Justice Matthew P. Smith. I wish to object to No. 7 and I shall explain why. Last Wednesday I had a phone call from the Tánaiste in respect of the proposal to make an appointment of an ordinary member to the Standards in Public Office Commission. I accept fully the Tánaiste's word that he inadvertently or did not appreciate the need for consultation with members of the Opposition in respect of this appointment. I accept that fully and I accept that it is his right to make a nomination. I wish to make the following points. Obviously when this was the end of tenure of a member of the Opposition, former Deputy and Minister, Liam Kavanagh of the Labour Party, it should have been clear that there should have been consultation about it. The Tánaiste made an offer to rotate these positions after six years given that the tenure is a six-year term. That is four years before the end of the world, according to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

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