Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is because appointments to State boards was the subject of a firm commitment by Fine Gael prior to the 2011 general election. The party stated it would do things differently. It rightly criticised previous Governments in respect of how appointments were made. Since 2011, Fine Gael has used State boards as personal fiefdoms or waiting rooms for party hacks and supporters in every area. I commend my colleague, Senator Byrne,on raising this matter yesterday. I am worried that the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht did not answer any of the specific questions that were put to her when we debated the issue last evening. If Mr. McNulty did not apply to join the board, who gave the direction for him to be put on the board of IMMA? Is the Leader aware that, in 2010, the composition of the such boards was restricted to nine members? However, the Government has appointed two additional members and increased the number to 11. Was the chairperson, Mr. Eoin McGonigal, consulted about this? Who made the application and who gave the direction?