Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Senator Henry took the words from my mouth in saying the board is a very disparate group. It arises because the members represent very different interests. We need as a chairperson somebody who can be above any of the individual interests but who has a vision for the whole area. We need somebody who will not represent solely the education, health or residents' interests but a person with an overview. The representatives as set out may not have that.

I too have seen various bodies that have elected their chairperson. In some cases the vested interests got together and elected someone from one group as chairperson and someone from the other group as vice-chairperson. As a result it became a closed shop. I will give serious consideration as to the type of person who should be chairperson of this agency. It must be a person who has the skills to consult, the vision for the site and the leadership qualities to bring everybody with him or her. It is a challenging position and as the agency will be there for approximately ten years we must ensure we have somebody who can give that kind of commitment.

With regard to the amendment suggesting we change from one resident representative on the agency, if I changed that I would have to double up on some of the others also and the agency would become unwieldy. We must keep our focus on the main purpose of the agency. I have been careful to ensure that local residents are included and involved at all stages of the consultation.