James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

I thank my colleague, Deputy Varadkar, for presenting this important Bill to the House. The incredible position that pertained in respect of the FÁS board and the paralysis of the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in taking action have been the most recent of a litany of cronyism, abuse of expenses and incompetence on State boards, matters addressed in detail by previous speakers.

Perhaps the most divisive and contentious board in the history of the State has been the HSE, which has acted as a buffer for the Department of Health and Children, effectively causing important issues to fall between two stools and blocking Members' queries. With money being poured into an excessively top heavy organisation and promised reductions in administrative staff failing to be carried through, the concerns of patients are being pushed to one side. I am outraged that hospital consultants, for example, have received an increase of €25,000 on salaries of €225,000 while services at the Midland Regional Hospital in my area and other health facilities countrywide have been cut at great risk to patients' lives. This wonderful top-up is costing the taxpayer €140 million.

Talk of hospital consultants reminds me of a telephone call I received this morning from a person complaining about the HSE and the matter of the ghost consultant in the midlands. It appears that Mullingar Regional Hospital, sanctioned either by the Minister for Health and Children or the HSE, is making appointments with a dermatology consultant that are cancelled at the last minute. The hospital has no such position. What sort of board stands over such playing with people's lives? How can a patient be strung along while his or her life is being endangered? On having been approached on the matter, the hospital spokesperson said she was "acting in good faith". However, she refused to say who had sanctioned such a scam or how the misleading of vulnerable patients can be regarded as acting in "good faith". On being approached by my caller, neither the HSE nor the Minister's office replied to the query. This is what parliamentarians in this House are up against. With the public being held to ransom by the shady actions of the HSE, questions need to be asked. Legislation such as this Bill is urgently needed to sort out such abuses.

While reining in the directors of State bodies, legislation is needed to ensure that cronyism becomes a thing of the past. This is what the public is crying out for. Appointees to boards must be qualified to deliver a service to the public that is above reproach.

Ireland's democracy is under threat from the growing concentration of power vested in spin doctors surrounding the Taoiseach and Ministers and the rise in the number of highly influential political staffers and quangos. The influence of Deputies in daily decision making and policy making has diminished significantly as quangos are taking over their duties. There has been a huge increase in the number of political staffers in this House, even in the past five or six years. This trend really arose when Deputy Bertie Ahern was Taoiseach. He employed staff of all kinds. There was not even accommodation in this House for many of the staff and advisers brought in under his reign. This trend has continued under the present Taoiseach, Deputy Cowen, despite the recession. This is removing power from the politicians in this House, who are elected by and for the people.

It should be remembered that spin doctors, political advisers and quangos are not elected. They are not subject to any rules of law of which I am aware and, more important, they do not answer to the electorate. When something goes wrong - such as the cancer care crisis in the health service, the dreadful wastage associated with the electronic vote management system and PPARS or the fiasco associated with the driver testing regulations - nobody is held responsible. The taxpayer must bear the brunt and pay for the mistakes the Government has made.

This trend, which has accelerated over the past ten years, is now posing a danger to Ireland's democracy. It leaves the door open to nod-and-winkn style political interference in the day-to-day administration of Government programmes. It brings about circumstances involving jobs for the boys, which circumstances are all too prevalent. In the case of the National Consumer Association, it brings about controversial jobs for the girls or, rather, girl. Such scandals, which are brought about by Fianna Fáil and which are rampant, are destroying elements of society. My views are based on public opinion as well as cross-constituency and cross-county conversations with representatives from the private and public sectors, in addition to the public, that is, our electorate.

The appalling state of affairs associated with the running of and appointment to public bodies calls into question the Standards in Public Office Commission, and the implementation of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 and the Standards in Public Office Act 2001 in so far as they apply to the officeholders in prescribed State bodies.

It is alarming to hear of some of the big builders whom the State has bailed out making statements in the Dáil bar and elsewhere that they have more influence on taoisigh than Ministers. What sort of country have we when we allow this to develop? This has been well documented in the media. We have all heard of similar cases.

It is undoubtedly true that under the protected tenure of the current Government, cronyism has led to abuses in the appointments and actions of board members. In many ways they have been above regulation, thus making the Bill before us one of the most important to be before the Oireachtas in recent years.

I compliment my colleague, Deputy Leo Varadkar, on having put great thought and energy into this Bill over the summer months. I hope common sense will prevail in this Chamber over the next two days and that the Bill will be placed on the Statute Book as practical law that will deal with the cronyism that was started 20 years ago when Fianna Fáil took over. Fianna Fáil is guilty and its members should hang their heads in shame for the way they have lowered the status of this Parliament and for the way they have behaved to the citizens of this State.

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