Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

Amendment No. 6 refers to the limit of two consecutive terms for authority members. This is a blunt instrument in that it affects good members as well as poor members. If the Minister wishes to replace somebody, he or she can choose not to appoint him or her. I ask him to reconsider this provision. If terms limits apply, it is possible a large number of people could leave the board at the same time, which would potentially disrupt its operation.

Under amendment No. 7, we would like qualifications to be stated as opposed to just the terms. Amendment No. 8 provides for the publication of appointments in Iris Oifigiúil rather than having them laid only before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The purpose of amendment No. 10 is to delete the gag on the chief executive which would prevent him or her from commenting on Government policy while amendment No. 11 provides a mechanism for public information regarding interests and conflicts of interest on the part of members and staff of the authority.