Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

As I said to Deputy Broughan previously, being a member of Fianna Fáil should not preclude one from being appointed to a board. I always approach appointments to a board in an open and transparent manner. I try to find the best people possible and if they happen to be members of Fianna Fáil or Fianna Fáil supporters, I will not exclude them for that reason, no more than I would exclude them because they might be supporters or members of Fine Gael. I do not inquire into their political allegiance.

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