Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

If we are honest with one another, that is what we must do. The Bill is important because it seeks to provide accountability and transparency. If we take Senator Ormonde's point about qualifications, that will happen. I do not agree that someone should be debarred from appointment to a State board because he or she is a political appointee or a member of a political party. I never said that, but we should put qualified people in who will act in the public interest, ask questions and be held to account. Let us get real. Why are we afraid of having confirmation hearings here like there are in America? What would be wrong with us investigating the board of FÁS, Iarnród Éireann or Bord Gáis? Deputy Leo Varadkar introduced the Public Appointments Transparency Bill in the other House, under which Ministers would be asked to appoint the best qualified people to serve on State boards. In addition, board members would have to understand their responsibilities. In some cases, such people come up for the day, get their money and go home. That is what is wrong with a system where patronage is involved.

I am looking forward to the end of the old boys' network, which exists through political connections. God knows, we need to get rid of the old pals' act. Ms Elaine Byrne wrote a very good exposé in The Irish Times in March this year, entitled "Letting go of self-destructive Pyrrhic behaviour". I will not go into it in detail because I do not have sufficient time. She wrote about the consequences of the failure of the traditional majority in Ireland. Her article also referred to unemployment and the whispers of potential civil unrest growing louder, which is the reality we are facing.

I commend the Bill and hope the Green Party Senators will stand by their convictions by voting against the Government. If they are true to what the then Deputy Dan Boyle spoke about in the other House in March 2007, they will have the courage to vote with the Opposition now. Politics as we know it has got to change. There must be a greater level of transparency and honesty.