Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

The National Transport 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 regarding transport, industrial, commercial, financial, land use planning or environmental matters, the organisation of workers or administration.

On 1 December 2009, I appointed the following people to the new authority: Mr. John Fitzgerald, chairperson; Mr. Gerry Murphy, chief executive, ex officio; Mr. John Tierney, Dublin city manager, ex officio; Mr. Frank King, ordinary member; Ms. Linda Saunders, ordinary member; Mr. Damian Usher, ordinary member; and Dr. Berna Grist, ordinary member. I am satisfied the members of the authority have wide experience in relevant areas. It is my intention to fill the remaining vacancies on the authority at an early stage. One of those vacancies is reserved for a senior National Transport Authority manager specified by the National Transport Authority chairperson with my consent.

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