Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I wish her every success in her Ministry. I have no doubt she will acquit herself very well using her experience of being an active councillor in Carlow, then being elected to the Dáil and appointed as a Minister of State. It is a great honour and experience to be appointed as a Minister of State. I was appointed three times by the former Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, to the Departments with responsibility for posts and telegraphs, transport, health, and trade and marketing. Each Department provides a great opportunity for a Deputy to serve the State on a full-time basis while continuing work as a Deputy. The additional role is magnificent and I am sure Deputy White has found it very interesting to be briefed by officials. I am also delighted the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Ryan, introduced this Bill.

Senator Buttimer may not know the history of appointments but when Deputy Michael Noonan was Minister, on the eve of the change of Government he appointed people to health boards and I was removed. In fairness, the current Taoiseach, Deputy Brian Cowen, rectified the situation because it was quite inappropriate. People in Fine Gael should not lecture anyone in Fianna Fáil or the Green Party on appointments because they are past masters at it.