Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Deputy Higgins raised the business of appointments, cronyism and all the rest of it. I have made it clear to Ministers that we have to take into account gender balance, competency and the credibility of people who offer themselves for appointment as chairs or to the membership of State boards. The second last Taoiseach, the former Deputy Bertie Ahern, admitted to me here that a significant number of appointments were made on the basis of friendship as distinct from merit. There is a commitment to a reduction in the number of quangos in place and obviously that will result in a reduction in the number of such appointments.

Deputy Cowen raised the question of what teeth the committee might have. The process here will not be the same as that in the United States where an investigation and all kinds of analysis is conducted of people who present themselves. The Government will make an appointment to the chair of a State board and that person will be required to go before the committee. The process will not be an interrogation but an opportunity for that person to present his or her case, vision, view for the agency or board involved. If the person makes a hames of that, obviously the Government will have to take that into account. Following the person's appearance before the relevant Dáil committee, be it agriculture, education, foreign affairs or whatever, the Government will sign off final approval on the appointment.

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