Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the point made by Deputy Ryan. The difficulty I have with Deputy Bríd Smith's amendment is that I do not believe we should pigeonhole appointments to specific State boards. We need flexibility. As Deputy Ryan said, why should we be limited to one specific appointment? In other words, should the Minister tick the box and appoint only one particular person even if there are three competent people he or she believes would add to the capacity of the board? I do not think the Minister's hands should be tied. We should not be pigeonholing people into various categories on boards. I agree in principle with Deputy Bríd Smith's proposal and I am prepared to facilitate it. I hope the Deputy will accept my amendment.

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