Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Does the Taoiseach agree that this is a significant reversal from previous positions he adopted on this issue? It is now very clear that the Government will appoint chairpersons and that a person will only resign if he or she makes a fool of himself or herself before the designated committee. If the Taoiseach believes the system of appointing persons to State boards is wrong, why is he not changing it? What we are getting is the appearance of change rather than substance. Before entering Government, the Taoiseach was committed to the establishment of a public appointments service which would handle the appointments process and give Ministers a short list informing them who was qualified and who was not. That has now been dropped by the Taoiseach. Will the Taoiseach consider the example set by the former Minister, Mr. Eamon Ryan, who under the Broadcasting Act 2009 gave the power to nominate individuals to the boards of RTE, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and TG4? Would that not really represent substantial change if that was the mainstream approach across appointments to State agencies as opposed to the position the Government is now taking where it is only the chairperson who has to appear before a committee and barring an appalling performance by the chairperson, nothing will happen and the appointment decision of the Minister will be rubber-stamped by the committee on which the Government parties already have a substantial majority?

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