Larry Butler (Independent)

That is an outrageous attack on the political system. When we look at what the banks did, we can see they were members of their own club. There were no members of the political system in the banking system. They destroyed their own organisations. To suggest now some connection between that and someone who was appointed to the board of the Central Bank on the basis of being a member of any political party is an outrageous attack on the political system. We can clearly see what happened in the health services. When we got rid of all the politicians from the health services, what happened? We cannot get one question answered. I do not subscribe to Senator Ross's proposal. I believe that we are committed people regardless of whether one's orientation is to Fine Gael, Labour, the Green Party or Fianna Fáil. We are Irish people committed to doing the best job we can. The one stipulation is that a person should have the qualifications, which is provided for in the Bill. It is important for us to stick to that. Having qualifications and the ability to do the job are what are most important.