Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

I congratulate Senator Ross on bringing forward this Bill. As Senator Norris has said, State boards have done a great service to this country. Like it or not, some people have not lived up to the expectations placed on them by Ministers over the years. However, there is great merit in the debate as put forward this evening if only for one reason - vested interests. A Member of the other House, Deputy Phil Hogan, recently uncovered a situation in which a member of a particular board had a vested interest and nothing was done about it. This legislation could cover such situations. I can appreciate the Minister of State's point to the effect that the provisions of the legislation could place an enormous burden on any Oireachtas committee. However, in many cases, especially where there are questions of vested interests, the Oireachtas committee as proposed by Senators Ross and O'Toole could well play a vital role.