Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Of course the authority could have used the Public Appointments Service. Fáilte Ireland was perfectly at liberty to do so. However, the authority is also at liberty to go outside PAS. It is not necessarily always the right course to go through PAS. If an organisation is looking for a particular type of person, it could use an agency specialising in that area.

We leave these things to the agencies. That is the point. That is why we have a board and chairman. That set-up allows the authority to make these selections. The board, chaired by Michael Cawley, in whom I have great confidence, decided that it wanted to go to an outside recruitment company. It is perfectly legitimate for the board to make that decision. The board knows it will cost money from the budget. The board may take the view that it represents value for money. If that is the view of the board, then I am satisfied that it can proceed in that way. PAS exists for a specific purpose. It is to be used in the vast majority of cases, although not all cases. It is a matter of discretion for the chairman in respect of what route he goes. That is fine.

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