Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Gabhaim buíochas le an Seanadóir Mullen as ucht a am a roinnt liom. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Bille seo, An Bille um Cheapacháin chuig Comhlachtaí Poiblí agus sílim go bhfuil sé thar am go mbeadh reachtaíocht san áit seo. Caithfidh mé a rá gur cleas glic atá imrithe anseo, ag an Seanadóir Ross go h-áirithe, an Bille deireanach a chuir an Comhaontas Glas ós comhair na Dála a fhoilsiú anseo inniu. Déanaim comhgairdeas leis as ucht sin. It is a clever stunt by Senator Ross in producing the same Bill that was produced by Senator Boyle and the Green Party in 2007, and presenting it here today. It is long overdue.

Senator Boyle, in his acknowledgement, has correctly recognised that little has changed in the system since 2007. It was only this month last year when the leader of his party, the Minister, Deputy Gormley, had to face the Dáil and make a public statement of apology because he appointed two councillors to a State body, the Private Residential Tenancies Board. One of them, from my county of Donegal, was a Fianna Fáil councillor who came back to that party's family and who was originally in Independent Fianna Fáil. The other was a Green Party councillor who was a county councillor at the time and who is now a town councillor. Indeed, he is now leaving the town council and leaving his position as an elected representative of the Green Party because he cannot afford to represent the people anymore, but that is a side issue. The reality is that this system has continued even up until last year and there is a need for an overhaul of this system.

Fianna Fáil has been the dominant party of Government for many decades. We have a system of cronyism and corruption being bred particularly from that party, although it is not unique to it. A summary of the detailed and lengthy contribution from the Minister of State would be that they are not ready for this legislation, they have a commitment in the programme for Government and they will deal with it some time in the future. That is not good enough because this is ongoing. For many years there has been a demand that this system be dealt with. It seems that the agenda of the Government time and again is that it is continually stuck in the slow lane and sometimes stuck in reverse. It is time for it to catch up.

The public wants more accountability. It wants greater confidence in some of these State boards. Other Senators have spoken about the lack of confidence in boards such as those of CIE and FÁS because of the scandals that have occurred within them. It is very easy to blame the board but the reality is that the Minister responsible has not grabbed the bull by the horns on those occasions. If there was at least a public system of appointing members to these public bodies, there would be more acceptance that those on the boards are trying to do their best. At this time, getting appointed to these boards is clearly a case who you are and who you know.

I welcome the Bill. I hope the Green Party Members, if they cannot support the Bill, can do what they have done on other occasions and stay out of the Chamber and not cast their vote, thereby allowing us to pass the legislation on this occasion.

The system is based on the fact that Fianna Fáil want to hold on to power at all costs. It has continued to put its people onto boards to ensure that, even outside of Government, it will continue to direct and control the boards. There will be three by-elections for the Seanad. These would be a good example of how Fianna Fáil, as the dominant party in Government, could show its genuineness by appointing somebody different from a party member or a Green Party member to one of those vacancies. It should particularly consider the issue of an emigrant representative being appointed to the Seanad who would give a voice to the emigrant communities throughout Britain, America and Europe. This would at least show there is a change of attitude at the heart of Government in regard to this issue.