Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

The civil servants or the parliamentary counsel may be more responsible than the politicians for this provision. If this is taken to its logical conclusion, a politician should not even be a Minister because he or she has to make difficult decisions. When I was Minister of State with responsibility for trade and marketing I was responsible for the awarding of many grants and, therefore, I was a politician as well as Minister. It is strange that politicians being members of boards has become so unpopular. Being a realist, this Bill is a Government provision and I will vote with the Government on it.