Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

This question relates to appointments made by the Taoiseach to State boards or other agencies. The Green Party, however, has taken this practice to a new level with the appointment of persons associated with them, party members or those who have lost their seats, to the Private Residential Tenancies Board, the Disability Authority, An Foras Orgánach, the Film Classification Office and the National Transport Authority. These appointments were made in keeping with the sentiment of the previous Taoiseach that appointments were made on the basis of friendship rather than merit.

The former Taoiseach and the Taoiseach have made the point that it is difficult to get people to serve on State boards. I make the general observation that in the case of one appointment to the board of the national children's hospital, when the former chairman brought issues that were of concern to him to the attention of the Minister, he was asked to resign on the basis that the board was not authorised to look at those issues. It is increasingly difficult to get good people to serve on State boards when situations like this might arise. Would the Taoiseach comment on that? The best people who want to serve on these boards are getting a message that does not augur well if we want people of quality to offer public service.

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