Dáil debates
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Appointments to State Boards
4:00 pm
Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
I have indicated to the Taoiseach on previous occasions my view that the committees do not have any real power and should instead be modelled on those in operation on Capitol Hill. Putting that to one side, it is good that the posts the Taoiseach named have been advertised. However, I asked him specifically about the eight different boards within the Department of Justice and Equality in respect of which none of the appointments was advertised. I say this with due deference to the appointees who may well be the best people for the job. The fact remains, however, that the chair of the Equality Authority was reappointed without being interviewed by a committee. Appointments to IDA Ireland, the National Consumer Agency and others have ignored the new procedures. If this were a report card, how would the Taoiseach mark the Minister for Justice and Equality?
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