Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

It is peculiar. Essentially, it means that the Government does not trust a CEO. We should grow up. When one considers how openness can lead to a fresher approach to governance, one should have a certain amount of confidence in oneself and in the people one appoints. Deputy Coveney made a valid point on the type of person who has come forward as a result of advertising for participation in the broadcasting authority's structures. People want to serve and do their best for their country. A CEO appointed to the board under discussion is bound to be someone who will ensure that the best job is done. Otherwise, he or she should not be paid as much as many CEOs.

There must be freedom to advise an Oireachtas committee when something is not working. In a private company, a CEO would be in deep trouble if he or she did not advise his or her board as to what was not working. An Oireachtas committee is not a board, but its authority should be recognised. The muzzling provision means that the Government does not trust the CEO or the committee, which is an old-fashioned view.

My final issue is a difficult one and I do not mean to point the finger, but a property in Glasnevin was vacated for health and safety reasons and was to be included in a social housing scheme by Dublin City Council. We do not seem to provide social housing anymore, even though the need for it is increasing. We must examine this matter to determine what can be done to ensure that the asset in question is realised for public good in some way if it is not to be used as social housing.

I commend the Minister of State and his civil servants for their work in producing this Bill. I hope he will have an open mind to amendments, although I do not envisage that there will be many. I also hope there will be no undue delay, as we have had enough of that. We must have a streamlined structure that is more efficient and cost effective and maintains the best of the old structures, namely, local accountability and the connections comprising a sophisticated network of conveying information that has developed over a long period. I hope the Minister of State is in a position to do this. If so, a good day's work will have been done.

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