Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

I thank the Minister for his reply. I am pleased to hear of his recent meeting with the Irish Red Cross Society. Does he not agree that the primary legislation was introduced in a period when war was imminent and there were different forces at play in terms of the role the society might play? This was a time when there was a general concern about invasions, bombings and so on. In regard to independence, the council of the Irish Red Cross has 42 members, 16 of whom are nominated by the Minister. The chairman is also nominated by the Minister and the fact that there has been no chairman in place since December is causing major problems. What concerns me is the adverse publicity that continues to emanate, albeit the most recent I saw was on a blog. There is a need for this to cease and for nomination of the 16 members and chairman of the council to pass from the Minister. I would like if the Minister could elaborate on the proposals put to him by the members of the Irish Red Cross with whom he met on 18 May.

See this speech in context