Brendan Ryan (Labour)

This may not be a question for this Minister of State but he might pass it to the Government and return with an explanation. Why is the Personal Injuries Assessment Board, PIAB, exempted from this prohibition? That legislation was passed by this Government and is one of its positive achievements to try to reduce the large cost of litigation and the large amount of unnecessary litigation for personal injuries. A Member of the Oireachtas is vice chairman of that board. Senator O'Toole is a most competent able individual and an appropriate choice. Somebody decided that appointment was all right but that it is not all right to appoint public representatives to other bodies.

This emanates from sections of the political sphere who view politicians as an interference with what they regard as efficient governance because we have a habit of asking awkward questions, which are usually more than justified, and of believing that business should be conducted in an open and transparent fashion. We are all well able to take responsibility for the consequences of our actions because we act in public. If there are manifest issues of conflict of interest, let them be stated. Otherwise let us get rid of blanket prohibitions.