Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I will certainly take that on board. I emphasise it is a nine member board so inevitably the emphasis must be on expertise and people who are suitably qualified to deliver the change and reform required in the inland fisheries sector. It will not be a case of, in the proverbial words of Gay Byrne, "one for everyone in the audience". I cannot assure the Deputy with regard to all of these interest groups which have written to her seeking to be represented on the board in some fashion. It will not be possible and we must be honest about that. However, there will be an opportunity in the forum that will exist following the passing of the Bill for all of those sectoral and geographical factors to be heard. It will be the primary listening post for the new authority and the new executive to consult with the sector at large.

To the Deputy from Donegal, it is important to state that this is a significant opportunity to reform and change the sector. It has been in the pipeline for ten years and seven previous Ministers and Ministers of State have gestated over it. I thank Deputy McManus for the assistance she gave on Committee Stage. I know the Deputy opposite is concerned about what happened in the HSE as, I think, is everybody in the House. He will appreciate that the amendment is aimed to redress a wrong done to councillors, which is now followed almost by ritual as many Bills contain this prohibition as if councillors were in some way suspect individuals without qualification or merit to be part of these bodies. I hope other Ministers and Ministers of State will follow suit and do the same. I agree with him that there needs to be more consultation by the HSE with local representatives at a local level. He is quite correct to state the era we have gone through in which people clocked in for conferences in parts of the country far from their own area is gone.

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