Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I support the thrust of Senator Daly's argument. It is right to state it on the record. I have nothing against civil servants. Irish civil servants have a world-wide reputation for efficiency, probity and integrity but that is not the point. Precedents exist where non-civil servants have been appointed to similar positions, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Court of Auditors to which two former politicians were appointed.

During the period of office of the rainbow coalition Government in the mid-1990s, Senator Daly and I co-sponsored a motion in this House to ensure that elected representatives would not be excluded from consideration for State boards. This seems to be an obsession with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel of all Administrations. At least we managed to halt that particular slide. I suggest the Government could consider a wider trawl in the appointment process. This is the first occasion in which Ireland is involved in an important Council of Europe institution. I believe a political or non-civil servant input might be useful and that is not to cast any aspersions. I ask the Minister of State to consider it on a future occasion if it is not being done on this occasion.

Will the Irish appointee to the Council of Europe Development Bank board have any direct influence on the projects being considered? I do not wish to widen the argument but it might require a simple "Yes" or "No" answer. As I stated on Second Stage, there are a number of worthwhile projects which member states as contributors are benefiting from, such as Germany, Sweden and Italy. I cited a number of projects in Ireland that might be usefully explored. The Minister of State may have referred to them in his reply but I was unable to stay in the House for the conclusion of his Second Stage reply. What influence, if any, will that individual have? Will he or she be required to stand outside the room when Irish projects are being proposed?