Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Section 30 provides for the employment of staff by the board subject to the consent of the Minister and the Minister for Finance in regard to numbers in employment, remuneration and other terms and conditions. In recruiting and employing employees, the education finance board will, like any State board, be expected and required to operate according to best practice in this regard and the legislation will not preclude the board from holding open competitions to select and appoint the staff it needs. However, I do not believe it would be appropriate to tie the hands of the board unduly in the way the proposed amendment would. For example, it may be to the board's advantage to appoint a person with relevant experience and expertise in adult education on a secondment basis.

While the Departments of Education and Science and Finance will have to assess the staffing needs of the board, the recruitment and appointment of staff will largely be a matter for the board itself using, where appropriate, the services of the Public Appointments Service. At the end of the day, it will have to get the best qualified people for the job while ensuring that legislative requirements in regard to equality and non-discrimination are complied with. I do not believe the amendment tabled by Senator Ulick Burke is necessary or appropriate because it may unduly, or unintentionally, limit the flexibility of the board in the appointment of staff.