Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The first motion is the replacement of two Deputies on two different committees, namely, the replacement of Deputy Michael McCarthy by Deputy Willie Penrose on the Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions and the replacement of Deputy Colm Keaveney by Deputy Willie Penrose on the Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. As Deputy Kelleher well knows, members of the committees are nominated by their political parties. We do that regularly here. When Fianna Fáil wants to change members of a committee, a motion is put before the House on which there is no debate. I and the Government have no objection if Deputy Kelleher wants to offer Deputy Keaveney or any member of the Opposition groups membership of that committee or of any other committee. That is a matter for the Opposition side of the House, but we reserve the right to make our nominations, as does every political party, and that is all we are seeking to do here.

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