Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

On Deputy Deenihan's point, it is Government policy that at least 40% of any board should be male or female and this will govern the decisions in this regard. It is true that such a stipulation has appeared in legislation and I cannot honestly answer as to the reason it is not included in this Bill. It is included in some items of legislation but not in others. I always have been a strong advocate of the inclusion of such a provision in legislation and I believe I was the first Minister to make it compulsory. I actually included a stipulation that it should be 40% when I introduced legislation in respect of the National Council for Special Education. Part of the difficulty with nominations made by local authorities is that they often will not nominate women and the same is true of trade unions much of the time and, consequently, I seek flexibility in this regard.

As for Deputy Broughan's point, I have not quite worked out how this will be done, except that it will be by invitation. I will ask each local authority to make nominations and will include a stipulation therein that nominations must be male and female to provide me with the greatest choice.

Question, "That the words proposed to be deleted stand", put and declared carried.

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