Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not wish to labour this point but I thank the Minister of State for elucidating it. I doubt if he is saying, however, that the director general will appoint the five other directors because that position would be totally untenable. I presume the directors are appointed by the State - that is, by the Minister of the day, rather than by the director general. I see that functionaries can be appointed and that recruitment will be done. Therefore, whoever is recruited to be head of the office of the radiological protection section will be recruited within the organisation by the director general. However, if a person with that important function is not a director of the overall agency then the function, role and status of the person to whom the responsibility lies in that office will be diminished.

It is entirely reasonable therefore that something should be stitched into legislation stating that person would be a director. Maybe there is a protocol concerning this, but I am asking the Minister of State to consider that point before we come back the next day on Report Stage.