Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not know what the composition of the board will be. It would certainly make sense to have representatives of those organisations on it and I can certainly convey that to the chairman.

I should say this is a decision of the Citizens Information Board, not a Government decision. There is a reason we have State boards, that is, so that some decisions can be made at arm's length. While I am happy to take responsibility for any decisions that fall into my statutory remit, where something is left to a board established by the Oireachtas to make a decision, I will stand by that board. If I were to countermand their decision or in some way order them to reverse it even if I had the legal authority to do so, that would be tantamount to expressing a lack of confidence in the board members and I do not. I have full confidence in them. I am sure they have considered this fully and have made this decision for the right reasons.

I have had discussions with the Chairman of the committee, Deputy Curran, and I understand the Oireachtas committee has held hearings and may put forward a set of alternative proposals. If those are reasonable and workable and perhaps present a way forward, I certainly will take a look at them and ask the board to consider them as well.

See this speech in context