Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

I welcome the fact that the Minister intends to put some thought into this, but I hope it does not suffer the fate of his thoughts about publishing evaluations.

Does the Minister not agree that we would be much more assured of the quality of the people appointed if we had some level of assessment by an Oireachtas committee? I am not talking about a Star Chamber, but an Oireachtas committee which will have accountability in scrutinising these appointments.

We are at a critical time in terms of dealing with the Central Bank and Financial Regulator. Is the Minister confident, looking at the boards of these bodies, that they have the necessary skill, expertise and experience to handle the challenges we face and protect taxpayers' interests? This issue is particularly acute for the Minister, as he appoints board members of the Central Bank and the Financial Regulator. Is the Minister satisfied and confident that we have that expertise in place?

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