Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)

This was argued for some time on Committee Stage. While it is no use going back over old ground, it is important the principle of Deputy Leo Varadkar's amendment is recognised by the Government. There is a half toe in the door, so to speak, regarding appointments to the boards of FÁS and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. While this should not be construed as over significant in scrutinising appointments, at least there was an implicit acknowledgement that this was the way to advance in this area.

The proposed scrutiny would not be a prurient charter to investigate into or invigilate upon an appointee's background or activities. It would examine his or her qualifications and competence to do a particular job. Any news headline information regarding a person's activities outside their qualifications or competences to function as board members as laid down in the legislation would be of no interest to a committee.

If four board members were to be appointed, it would make sense that seven to ten candidates would be put forward. As the legislation requires the board to cover many professional fields, it should be anticipated that there may be a significant number of candidates with professional experience in competition law. From an economic viewpoint, competition law is important in areas such as mergers and acquisitions. It is important, therefore, the agency's board comprises members who have the professional background to deal with what is in effect an onerous job.

The Minister of State has indicated she will not accept this amendment. However, the amendment's principle should be kept in mind. The recent appointments to the FÁS board were a first step in this direction and one which we would advocate building upon for the future.

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