Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 7:

In page 15, lines 1 and 2, to delete subsection (4) and substitute the following new subsection:

"(4) The Agency will elect a chairperson at its first meeting.".

Section 17(4) provides that "The Minister shall designate one member of the Agency as chairperson".

That will be seen as an undemocratic way of appointing a chairperson. A designation means it is in the control of the Minister rather than it being a democratic decision of the agency. It would be normal in most agencies that at the first meeting the members would democratically appoint a chairperson. If the Minister designates one member of the agency as chairperson, that will be seen as undemocratic in so far as it may deny certain representative groups a choice. I am sure that each and every member of the agency to be finally be appointed would have the capacity to act as an able chairperson. I hope the Minister takes another look at this.

Amendment No. 8 proposes that there be two residents of the Grangegorman neighbourhood rather than one appointed to the agency. I hope the Minister considers this as many requests have been made to her in this regard. While I know this may be cumbersome, the Minister has already indicated the number that should be on the agency. If we are serious about the importance of the project, which will be the largest educational project in the history of the State, it is important that the people directly affected are brought together, from academic representatives to all the stakeholders. Therefore, it is important to have two residents' representatives on the agency and that they be elected from their own grouping.