Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

The Minister has said that this is a "standard provision", but I remind her that we are familiar with variations from standard practice. I cannot give the exact time and date of instances in the quite recent past when all the members of a board or an agency were dismissed. I do not know whether such decisions were taken on the basis of "the Minister's opinion", on the basis of "ill health" or on the basis of a simple difference of opinion, as I said initially. I remind the House that people were removed from boards, or decided to leave such boards after undue pressure was placed on them by Ministers, possibly through their representatives on particular boards, on three or four occasions in the fairly recent past. The concerns expressed must be taken on board so that we will get clarity on what the Minister can or cannot do in certain instances.