Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

We have asked these questions before. There have been two scandals, or embarrassing situations, recently. One was the illegal appointment made to the Residential Tenancies Board, the other the resignation of the new chairman of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority within a couple of days of his appointment. As the Taoiseach will be aware, in order to clear this up, Fine Gael published the Public Appointments Transparency Bill. This is not a Bill of interrogation but seeks that those who are announced to be in a position of some authority would come before the relevant Oireachtas committee and indicate to members what they would bring to the particular board or agency to which it is proposed they be appointed.

Does the Taoiseach agree with or favour that proposal? Does he approve a facility whereby those who are to take chairmanships of agencies or State boards should be in a position to be able to say, concerning their own merit or credit, "This is what I bring to this board. These are the qualifications and attributes I have. This is what I want to do". It would be helpful for everybody. The Taoiseach might indicate his views on that.

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