Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is exactly what I did. I also referred to the possibility of him coming before a committee to be questioned on his qualifications. I do not know what would be the outcome of such a process, but I can surmise what it would be in the light of the debate surrounding the gentlemen in question. I am not in any way impugning his character but speaking, as Senator Darragh O'Brien has done, about his qualifications to sit on the board of the IMMA and the reasons behind his appointment to it. It would be worth considering, as part of a new process of appointing people to State boards, whether we should give committees of the Houses an opportunity to discuss with Government nominees whether they are qualified for the relevant position. I am not saying for one moment that a committee would throw out a nomination. As Senator Sean D. Barrett will concur, at yesterday's meeting all sides were so impressed by Mr. Courtney's curriculum vitae that members complimented the Minister on finding and proposing him for a very important job. I wish Mr. Courtney well in his new position.