Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

What we will bring to State board appointments is transparency that has never before been seen. As I said yesterday, I understand the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, under the chairmanship of the Ceann Comhairle, is anxious to see the work of committees being televised in order that there will be transparency and an assessment of competence by the people. I assume that if a person nominated by a Minister to the chairmanship of a State board does not measure up in terms of his or her performance at the committee, the Government will have to take this into account in giving its approval.

The boards of banks are entirely different from State boards. The Minister for Finance will bring the Nyberg report before the House shortly and make a number of announcements on the governance of the boards of banks. This is an appalling situation, as the Deputy is only too well aware, and changes must be made. They have been referred to in the newspapers this morning by the Financial Regulator and will have to take place. Obviously, the cost to the electorate has been enormous in terms of the recklessness shown and a lack of capacity to do what was right and fair. As was said, they were in a frenzy. There will be changes in the governance of banks which will be presented as part of the Nyberg report when it is brought before the House in the near future.

When the issue of FÁS arose, in which the Deputy was involved as a Member of the other House, the Committee of Public Accounts was unable to call witnesses to give evidence on the facts. That must change. In so far as the Government is concerned, it is acutely aware of the necessity to ensure accountability and transparency and the taking of responsibility on all these issues. This will require change and I am looking at how best this can be achieved.

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