Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is astonishing that the Government failed to seek replacements in advance of the previous board members' departure in light of the type of work in which it engages.

We all agree that SIPO is one of the vital checks and balances to this institution and as such it is important that the Government not only supports its work but is seen to do so.

Appointments to the board of the commission are made by the Oireachtas, as the Minister stated, on the Minister's recommendation. This failure to appoint the new board members in a timely manner resulted in headlines which feed into a public mistrust of politics and politicians. I understand that we cannot control the headlines but in this instance, the Minister was the instigator and author of this bad press. The appointments should have come before the Dáil in advance of the Christmas recess-----

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