Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I very much recognise the bona fides and the motives behind the amendment and the Senator's interest in the area. I am examining innovate new ways of appointing authorities and it is important to get the balance right between various considerations. It is appropriate for the Minister of the day to have an appointment facility to boards. He or she does not have to appoint the entire board but it is appropriate for him or her to have certain control, particularly over the appointment of the chairman and a number of others, because public policy is set by the elected Government and a Minister is given constitutional responsibility to determine and pursue such policy. It is, therefore, correct to marry that officeholder, elected under our constitutional arrangements, with any authorities set up. He or she should have the ability to outline policy in his or her Department and to extend that policy vision into relevant State authorities via those he or she appoints to their boards. It is correct for the Minister to have the ability to influence the direction of boards through public appointments.

However, where a new board is being appointed, as is the case under the legislation, it is possible and beneficial for the Minister to share that responsibility with a joint Oireachtas committee in a number of board appointments. That would widen the net the Minister casts to appoint people to boards and it would allow for a wider democratic discussion and engagement in that process. That is why the new provisions were developed. I have a fundamental concern with what I understand to be Fine Gael's position on this matter. The party says joint Oireachtas committees should question, check or interview ministerial board appointees and that is the primary instinct of the party in how we evolve in this area. I prefer my approach in that the committees would have a proactive rather than a reactive role in this regard. No matter how much we might wish this should be done in an open, civil and proper manner, such an after the fact check on appointments could easily turn into a contentious system of interview and check that would discourage people from taking on a not well paid public service function. I fear the proposal set out in the amendment and more widely outside the Houses by Fine Gael would lead to people being discouraged from taking up appointments and that would not necessarily improve the process because it would have the potential of becoming a contentious checking process.

I much prefer my proposal because it would be much more proactive for joint Oireachtas committees to conduct such discussions and interviews at they see fit and to use them to propose names, which they could present to the Minister who, in turn, would present them to the Government for nomination. That will provide for an engaged public process and it will provide committees with great freedom in how they decide to go about their work and with a wide selection procedure. That is the right way to go rather than the alternative whereby nominations are brought to the committees for vetting, which would inevitably be more contentious and would lead to board selection that would not deliver as good candidates.