Sean Barrett (Independent)

I move amendment No. 20:

In page 15, subsection (2), line 16, to delete "the Minister" and substitute "Seanad Éireann".

All of the eight person body will be appointed by the Minister. I am trying to find a role for this House similar to the idea that appointments to State boards in other Departments would come before the Oireachtas. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport was one of the proponents of this practice. It would enhance the role of the Seanad. It is undesirable for so much power to rest with the Minister, to appoint the entire board without representation from the provider bodies. I would prefer something more representative. This could be a role for the Seanad that would be important as we try to play a constructive role in the task the Government faces in putting back together a country that had to be rescued by the IMF not that long ago. That is the purpose.

On the Order of Business this morning I raised a report that appeared in yesterday's edition of The Irish Times about lobbying that took place for certain measures to be inserted in the Finance Act. We must stop bypassing parliament in the governance of this country and this is an attempt to change that policy.