Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 7:

In page 15, line 4, after “Minister,” to insert “having regard to the views of trade unions,”.

On Committee Stage I said I would come back to this issue on the representation of ICTU as one of the relevant organisations to this new entity. The Minister on Committee Stage stated:

When appointing people to the board I must ensure that, collectively, it has the necessary experience relating to the functions and the responsibilities of the authority. Membership of the board is therefore not constituted on the basis of sectoral representation but instead on what that person has to offer to the authority.

I welcome the fact the Minister is including provision in the Bill that the board of the authority will contain a person who has knowledge and experience of matters relating to the interests of employees. As the Minister knows, it is a shortcoming that was raised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in its evidence on pre-legislative scrutiny. I do not believe I am misinterpreting the Minister when I say that she was unwilling on Committee Stage to make ICTU a nominating body and that she wanted to emphasise the skills of candidates and everything they would have to offer in offering those skills. However, candidates put forward by a nominating body must meet specific and detailed criteria determined by the Minister and the appointment of such candidates remains solely and exclusively a matter for the Minister, to ensure the board has an appropriate mix of the experience, knowledge and skills to oversee successfully the performance of the board's functions. Given this safeguard, will the Minister to reconsider the amendment on the basis that ICTU is a default organisation that would have those required skills? It is the foremost organisation at representing workers. Perhaps the Minister would reconsider it on that basis.

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