Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I shall not labour the point but I speak of a different quality of experience that is apart from the quasi-judicial nature of the board. This is not an adequate reason not to include the voice of the person who has been through the direct experience, which might be in turn a representative voice for the other groups the Minister of State mentioned.

The amendment has been ruled out of order but I make the point that we must get away from the more hierarchical model of representation. We ought to look at it from the ground up and with the voice of the consumer. This is an appropriate place to have the voice of the consumer represented. There has been a move in that direction when the Government appoints bodies and boards, namely, to have the voice of the person directly affected involved in the decision-making structures. It is a good move, one we should try to develop more generally and which would be beneficial in this area.