Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Amendments Nos. 23, 24, 26 and 27 relate to term limits for board members. There was a lengthy discussion on Committee Stage on this matter. My priority is to retain the principle of board rotation. However, I am flexible on the number of years and I intend to bring forward an amendment, following consultation with the Attorney General's office, to change the term limits to 12 years in aggregate in a 15 year period. This will be done when the Bill is taken in the Seanad and it will be returned to the Dáil.

Amendment No. 25 follows on from an exchange I had with Deputy Pearse Doherty on Committee Stage relating to exceptional circumstances where the term limits might be disapplied, namely where the board would not be able to attract sufficient skills and expertise otherwise. Deputy Pearse Doherty instanced the case of small credit unions where the pool of eligible directors could be small. My Department is exploring options for this with the Attorney General's office to see what can be done to address this point. On that basis, I do not propose to accept this amendment. However, the issue is being examined closely and in a constructive way.

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