Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

The National Transport Authority was established on 1 December last. Membership of the authority comprises a chairperson, three ex officio members and eight ordinary members. The chairperson and eight ordinary members must be persons who, in the opinion of the Minister for Transport, have wide experience of transport, industrial, commercial, financial, land use planning or environmental matters, the organisation of workers or administration.

Last March I invited applications from any person who wished to be considered for appointment as an ordinary member of the new authority. Applicants were simply required to demonstrate to me how they met the criteria in the areas referred to above. A total of 68 applications were received and I record my appreciation to everyone who took the time to submit an application.

On 1 December I appointed the following people to the new authority: Mr. John Fitzgerald, chairperson; Mr. Gerry Murphy, chief executive; Mr. John Tierney, Dublin city manager; and Mr. Frank King, Ms. Linda Saunders, Mr. Damian Usher and Dr. Berna Grist, ordinary members. The four ordinary members were chosen from the public application process and I am satisfied that they each have wide experience in relevant areas.

It is my intention to fill the remaining vacancies on the authority at an early stage in the new year. One of those vacancies is reserved for a senior NTA manager specified by the NTA chairperson with my consent. I indicated during the passage of the Bill in the House that if the transport committee wanted to make a suggestion, I was open to considering such a suggestion.

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