Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

To clarify, the position of CEO was advertised in the press in recent weeks. In general, the search for a CEO to head up a company of this size and nature can take up to nine months. The chairman designate who was approached in November is soon to be appointed. As the Deputy stated, he appeared before the joint committee earlier in the week. I understand he gave an extremely good account of himself during the hearing. I am sure his appointment will be confirmed by the Government shortly. In addition, I will be appointing a new board for the DAA in the next fortnight.

It has taken time to put matters in order, as it is not easy to find very good people to chair State companies. It is easy enough to get someone to sit on a board, but it is quite difficult to encourage a person to take on the chairmanship of the board of a State company. This is owing to the demands involved, the thankless nature of the job and the very poor remuneration for those who chair such boards. After tax, those who chair State boards are paid €7,000 or €8,000 per year for work which could take between ten and 20 hours work a week to complete. It is difficult, therefore, to find people to serve. However, I must state those I have found to chair these boards to date are excellent individuals. Before anyone asks, none of them has Fine Gael connections. It takes time to find the right person. However, it is worth taking that time.

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