Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Just one in three of those surveyed agreed that the changes to the appointments process that were introduced by the current Government had improved the functioning of State boards. In addition, 72% of them said they believed there should be more defined independence from the political system regarding these appointments. That causes a problem.

I have much more to say but I will not be allowed to say it. I think what the Minister is doing and trying to do is to be commended. We are walking a tightrope here. On the one hand, I want us to try to remove from the political arena appointments to State boards. At the same time, we need to recognise that there is a role for the Oireachtas in identifying and attracting the type of skills set and expertise we need to run our State companies. Perhaps the use of the committee system, in conjunction with the sitting Minister, could provide a way of overcoming issues that might arise if we were looking for chairmen for particular boards. As I have said, high-flying businesspeople in this country, like Senator Quinn, might not be willing to submit formal applications for such positions. Perhaps a formal application process might be appropriate for the general members of the board, while leaving it open for people to be approached to chair that board. I will e-mail the Minister on the other issues. I would appreciate it if he were to go through my suggestions. I commend what he is doing. I hope we can move the political system further away from the State board process because it has left a sour taste in most people's mouths, apart from mine. I have to say I benefitted greatly from the most recent appointment.