Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A discussion of our ideologies could be interesting. I want to make it very clear, as I think I did on previous Stages in the Seanad, that I certainly do not doubt that a person nominated by ICTU could well have all the qualities and experience needed to be an effective member of the HSE board. Based on my interactions with the trade union movement, I have no doubt about the calibre or experience of those individuals but I would stress that the issue is not about calibre. The issue is about nominees to the board by stakeholder groups. Having nominees by any individual organisation would not be good practice in the context of the HSE board and would inevitably result in requests for a range of other groups to nominate to membership of the board. We already take account of clinical, financial and patient advocacy expertise. Pointing out clinical expertise, they will presumably and potentially be employees of our health service as well. I do not think anyone, including Deputy O'Reilly, wants to see our board constructed by a series of nominations by a series of stakeholder groups. For those reasons and not the calibre of individuals, I do not intend to accept this amendment.

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