Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I am not sure I understand how there are still 12 people on the board, working as hard as the Minister says they are. He said there were four vacancies. Is it not the case that the Government cleaned out the original board before it drove out the chief executive? It added four directors, thereby increasing the size of the board to 12. Those who supervised the authority's previous body of work were all cleaned out. The Government did this before the vindictive sacking took place of the authority's chief executive who can be very proud of the work he did. I would like to know whether six directors of any other semi-State body have asked a Minister to take his fees back — to stick them up his geansaí. Can the Minister give me another example of an agency in which six directors have said they are quitting because they believe in the chief executive? He cannot defend his vindictive and disgraceful act. What would he say in response to Mr. Goodwin who was appointed to the board on behalf of the Carers Association? When he resigned, he said the new chairperson of the authority had clearly indicated her desire to diminish the role of professional people within the organisation and to move the organisation away from its role as an advocate for those who could not represent themselves. The Minister has utterly changed the purpose and role of the authority, as it was intended to operate and as it operated before he took the vindictive action to which I have referred.

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