Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cronyism, favouritism and jobs for the boys and ladies has been a topical issue in both Houses for the past week or so. I note that like my colleague on the opposite side of the House, Senator Mooney, I took part in a working group in which we examined 129 applications for appointments to the RTE Authority and to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. It involved 129 highly qualified people and that working group had the difficult task of reducing the number down to eight, that is, four to RTE and four to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. As Senator Mooney noted, we have been taking part in this exercise for the past two months or more. Yesterday, we interviewed those whom we had chosen from their curricula vitae and I feel honoured to have been part of this working group, which chose eight highly qualified people, men and women, who will be a major asset. My point is this is the manner in which appointments to all State boards should take place. There was no cronyism, no one approached me on behalf of anyone, there was no favouritism or anything but we had a consensus and chose eight great people. As Senator Mooney also stated, no one knew what politics they had. They were not jobs for the boys and this is the way it should be.

I am unsure who called for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to come into the House urgently, but I also call on him to come into the House to discuss the planning laws in which there is room for improvement and which must be tightened up. An example is unauthorised developments in many parts of Ireland and how decisions by An Bord Pleanála to dismantle them have not been implemented by local authorities. Members must review urgently the planning law in respect of these matters.