Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

On amendment No. 16, the Higher Education Authority is on the existing board. There are other educational interests that would have to be accommodated in the new agency.

It would be impractical to give the reasons for every board appointment in writing to the Oireachtas. If that was to be applied to all State boards, it would be an onerous operation that would take a very long time. These boards must come before the Oireachtas anyway so there are plenty of opportunities for people to find out about the abilities of the members.