Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

Ministers make nominations from many different sources. Some appointments they make are on the recommendation of particular bodies or sectors. Therefore, all appointments are not at Ministers' discretion.

It is important that appointees to boards broadly share the objectives of the Government and are of like mind with it. The Leader, when she was a Minister, had some difficulties with one semi-State company, whose staff had a very different political philosophy and wanted to run a particular public enterprise in a very different way from her, which would have led to constant confrontation with unions, etc.

In some cases, Ministers appoint a civilservant. One can have excellent professional qualifications and nonetheless be a supporter of a political party. Equally, one will find examples of people of merit from other parties who are kept on even though their party is not in power. I noticed recently that the Minister for Agriculture and Food appointed Alan Dukes, a very distinguished person, to head a body looking into the future of agriculture. I am sure he receives some remuneration for this and I am all in favour of that. The idea that one cannot have independence of mind because one has a party affiliation is open to question. The reward in question is very small. Consider the way directors of private companies reward themselves——