Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I am not seeking to do as the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, suggests. Approval by a committee of the Houses of the Oireachtas is an important procedure and I have no doubt that such a committee would not be undoing the selected or elected nominees of the respective component parts of the professions involved. However, the committee should be given the role and responsibility.

While the Minister of State made the point that the Minister only has ultimate control over a certain number of appointments, the opening statement in this section of the Bill is that the board shall be appointed by the Minister, and so it should be. However, the committee should have a role and, under my amendment, it would give its approval. This is a proposal many would support. As to the notion that it cannot be adopted today because the committees are not in situ, the Seanad election procedure will conclude next week, shortly after which we will have the establishment of the various committees of the Houses. There is no impediment to accepting the amendment and proceeding as it sets out because those committees are not yet in situ.

The Minister of State claimed the observations of my colleague in the Fianna Fáil Party were a little rich, but I welcome them and I had hoped to hear the same from the Government benches, that is, now is the correct opportunity to put down a clear marker of intent to ensure we stand up to what has been articulated heretofore and to ensure a new beginning in terms of State boards. It is unacceptable that we are not going forward in such a way. I intend to press the amendment.

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