Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would be in favour of some additional transparency but I have particular concerns with what the Deputy is suggesting in his measure. Let us assume, for example, there is one person to be appointed to the Judiciary and three names are publicly given and background information about the candidates is also publicly given. It would be fine for the person who was appointed but it could be a considerable embarrassment for the two who were not. The two who were not appointed may well be just as eminent and could equally make very good members of the Judiciary. If, six months later, one of those two candidates is appointed, there could be a question about why he or she was not good enough to be appointed previously but is now good enough to be appointed. We must be careful to ensure that whatever system we implement does not damage the reputation of individuals who properly seek to be appointed to the Judiciary and that there is no question of their credibility being in any way damaged prior to such an appointment being made. These are issues that we must tease out and address very carefully, and we must not jump to conclusions.

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