David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am astonished about this. The section states: "A person may not be appointed as an appointed director unless he or she is a person who is an employee of the Executive holding the grade of national director in the Executive." There could not be a clearer example of what used to be called, with great scorn, "jobs for the boys" or "jobs for the boys and girls". In other words, we are simply retaining the people who are already there. I am not sure that in every instance we can repose great confidence in them. We have had this problem with the banks. We pussy-footed around the place in a rather silly way, we took up all their debts, we more or less exonerated them and then we allowed them to stay in office - the people who really did not work.

I wonder if this provision is constitutional. It excludes everybody except people who were there already. It is not just a nonsense, it is grossly offensive. It is also totally undemocratic. I wonder is there some reason for this provision. Was some form of an agreement made? Was some kind of pressure brought to bear by a group within the HSE in order that they should be placed in a situation where they could not be dislodged by new blood? Surely to God what we need is new blood. I do not mean that we exclude everybody but this provision states that a person cannot be appointed unless they have been there already - plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose - at least it is not in Latin.
I am very happy to second the amendment but I am astonished that such a clause should exist in Irish legislation. I regard it as completely wrong. It is possible that I have missed something that the Minister may be able to make me aware of but I am very much inclined to doubt it.
I spoke on the immigration and asylum legislation when a previous Government was in office and there was an attempt to allow a senor executive, about whom very serious questions had been raised, to continue in office. I had never seen such a measure in a Bill before and I attacked the then Fianna Fáil Administration over it on a question of principle. I believe that principle continues to operate here. I will be very sad if this clause survives this debate in Seanad Éireann. I hope it does not.