Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)

The main point the Minster of State made is in regard to the cost of the board. While everyone wants to cut waste, and Sinn Féin certainly does not want to see public money wasted, the cost of the board, according to our information, is €20,000 per annum and €200,000 over the period of its existence. A figure of €1.7 million has been mentioned but our information is that €1.5 million of that was not incurred by the board itself.

The key point is that there should be accountability. Ministers should be open to seeking advice. This board is one body that has worked well. Obviously, one can find fault with certain decisions or aspects but, in general, it has worked very well. If something has worked well, we should not scrap it completely. We should be looking to improve it.

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