Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

In the context of the questions posed by Deputy Higgins, I will be interested in hearing the Taoiseach's comments on workers and service users. Will the proposals regarding reform of the process relating to appointments to State boards extend to dealing with the outrageous salaries paid to executives on such boards? These individuals are being paid hundreds of thousands of euro at a time when workers are being asked to take savage pay cuts.

In addition to the reform of the appointments process, will there be a greater level of accountability to the public and to this House with regard to the policies pursued by and activities of the executives and boards of State companies? Many of these individuals appear to be a law unto themselves and are able to do whatever they like. We do not seem to be able to obtain accurate information on their actions and the policies they pursue, and we are not in a position to influence those actions and policies.

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