Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the Sinn Féin amendment, but I wish to make a point to the Minister that the public knows what is going on and knows that the possible 60 appointees to the forum will be predominantly Fine Gael and Labour Party appointees.

Is the Minister aware that speaking at the launch of plans to ratify a number of State agencies before the last election, now Minister, Deputy Varadkar, said that one of the essential measures in Fine Gael's five point plan was to abolish or rationalise 145 State agency boards, committees, task forces and public bodies - often referred to as quangos - to help it hit the efficiency reduction target without affecting front-line services. Now the Government is setting up another quango, possibly a 60-member quango, which will be funded by the State. It will be funded by hard pressed taxpayers, who will be paying-----