Seanad debates

Wednesday, 9 October 2002

Sub-Committee of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges: Motion.

 

The issue of panels has been raised. The qualification requirements for the panels is that one must have knowledge of and experience of agriculture; knowledge of and experience of administration; knowledge of and experience of industry and commerce; knowledge of and experience of culture and education; knowledge of and practical experience of labour. Many would testify, following scrutiny of the qualifications, that there are people on all panels who do not necessarily meet the spirit of the initial legislation as drafted. Many people do not have knowledge of or practical experience of the particular vocational sector they represent. A good example is the Labour Panel where, up to now, the rigors for qualification were quite stringent. In the wake of the general election, there was a court challenge by Kathryn Sinnott regarding her qualifications for the Labour Panel. I do not wish in any way to disparage or denigrate her qualifications but looking at the court judgment in the context of the rigorous scrutiny of qualifications for the Labour Panel up to then, it is obvious the Labour Panel has been thrown wide open. We need to look, in committee, at the vocational sectors we are supposed to represent.

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