Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister let in a chink of light. He now seems to be suggesting that if he does not sign off on this matter and moves on from the Department, it will fall to his successor who might very well take a different view. I want to correct a few things. On his powers to overrule or not to overrule the board, as the case may be, the Minister will be aware that this proposal is not new. It was mooted when the Minister's predecessor, the late Seamus Brennan, managed to stop it in its tracks, as all of the organisations acknowledge. The Minister mentioned the consultation process, but what the people being consulted wanted to be consulted about was whether the reorganisation was a good idea. What they were actually consulted about was how the reorganisation would take place. In other words, they were told the decision had been taken and that it did not matter what they said. They were to be consulted about marginal and minor matters of implementation. That is the only consultation which has taken place. Is that what was intended by the Minister when he arranged for this further consultation to take place?

See this speech in context