Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No. I refer to other public bodies that I believe should come under this legislation. Eirgrid should come under it because it has a massive impact on people's lives. A director of Sustainable Energy Ireland is a director of one of the companies promoting the big wind farm projects - I refer to Brendan Halligan, a former colleague of the Minister. That has come up time and again, and I have heard the Minister's Oireachtas colleagues criticising that apparent conflict of interest between a person who is a director of Sustainable Energy Ireland and also a director of one of the companies promoting the wind farms. Eirgrid and such organisations that deal with this area should be included.

In terms of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, a definition of what is and is not covered should be included. I refer also to the Irish Aviation Authority, which I accept is a niche area. I came to mention the Minister's colleague in Clare who was put onto that board. We have had a good bit of that discussion in the past few days. I mention the Private Security Authority and Tourism Ireland also. Many hotel groups, bed and breakfast establishments and a wide variety of people in the tourism industry want to lobby Tourism Ireland for funding and projects that will be beneficial to them. Such people have a very big impact. Waterways Ireland is another one.

I read in one of the briefing notes here in the Oireachtas that what is excluded is the implementation of public policy. I know it must stop somewhere. The Minister said that some of the companies I mentioned did not make public policy but those that implement public policy, such as the organisations I mentioned including Tourism Ireland or Eirgrid, must be covered under this legislation. There is a gap in that regard. Sometimes those organisations can have far more practical power and influence in terms of people's daily lives and the direction in which the country is going than the officials in the Department who drafted the legislation that set them up.

Principal officers and assistant principal officers have to be included in the legislation. Principal officers are on higher salaries than Oireachtas Members and the salary grade-----

See this speech in context