Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank all the Members who contributed to the debate. Each of them paid tribute to the outgoing Comptroller and Auditor General and spoke highly of him. I would like to associate myself with them by paying tribute to Mr. John Buckley. The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General has an outstanding reputation for the quality and rigour of its work. As Deputies are aware, the effective and efficient management of resources by Government Departments and agencies is a priority for the Government, as is the question of greater accountability to the Oireachtas and to the people regarding what is being achieved with public money. I thank Deputy McGuinness, who served as Vice Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts when I was the Chairman of that committee. The Deputy paid tribute to Mr. John Purcell, who was an outstanding Comptroller and Auditor General in previous years.

Many of the ideas set out by Deputy McGuinness in the legislation he proposed recently are quite interesting and worthy of further consideration. The review to which a number of Deputies referred will be published before too long. Perhaps it could be discussed by the Committee of Public Accounts in the first instance. When that committee has made its input, we will see how we proceed from there. Although the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General is working very well, it is worth looking at the foundation legislation to see if we can make it work even more efficiently.

I thank Deputy McDonald for her support. I can inform her that I do not have data on how many women applied for this position. I do not think it is the practice to distinguish between applicants on the basis of gender. It is not in my brief. There were a number of women on the selection board. The chairperson of the board was Ms Margaret Hayes, who is a barrister and a director of Irish Life and Permanent. Dr. Dorothy Scally, who is a human resources consultant, was one of the four people who ultimately selected the proposed new office holder. Women were certainly involved in the process.

Deputy Ross spoke about a different approach to appointments. He suggested that Members of the House should have a role at the interview stage. He mentioned the possibility of holding public hearings. We have been over this ground before. I am not averse to what the Deputy has suggested. However, some consideration is needed before elected Members of this House are given a role in selecting part of the permanent administration. The role of the Comptroller and Auditor General is enshrined in law. The independence of that office from the Government is one of the key factors in its strength. Equally, it is a matter of law that the Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts has to come from the Opposition. Such measures are necessary to keep a distance between the audit and the administration. There must be a wide gap between the Government and the audit functions. Although the Deputy's suggestion is worth thinking about, I am not convinced there is anything untoward about the way things are done at present.

The selection process was quite good. I do not doubt that the best candidate was recommended for the job. The shortlisting board that was put in place in the first instance consisted of Ms Margaret Hayes, who is a barrister and a director of Irish Life and Permanent; Mr. Kieran Donnelly, who is the Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland; Professor Patrick Honohan, who is the Governor of the Central Bank; Mr. David Doyle, who is a former Secretary General of the Department of Finance; Mr. Clive Brownlee, who is a partner in Praesta Ireland; and Mr. John Buckley, who is a former Comptroller and Auditor General. When the shortlisting was complete, the process moved onto preliminary interviews. They were conducted by Ms Margaret Hayes; Mr. Kieran Donnelly; Professor Patrick Honohan; Mr. David Doyle; Dr. Dorothy Scally, who is a human resources consultant; and Mr. John Buckley.

The final interview was conducted by four people - Ms Margaret Hayes, who was the chairperson, Mr. Kieran Donnelly, Mr. Edward Fennessy and Dr. Dorothy Scally. Mr. Fennessy, who was not involved in the preliminary rounds, is a director of the European Court of Auditors. As I mentioned, Ms Hayes is a barrister and a director of Irish Life and Permanent and Mr. Donnelly is the Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland. Dr. Scally, who was the outside Top Level Appointments Committee nominee in this case, is a human resources consultant. The recommendation was made by the eminent independent people involved in this process, who have experience at home and abroad. I have no doubt that we got the best available person from those who applied for the job. I congratulate Mr. Séamus McCarthy and wish him very well in the serious office he is now undertaking. I ask Dáil Éireann to consent to his nomination for this position to the President, who is constitutionally responsible for this appointment.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is the motion agreed?

Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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Níl.