Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have the height of respect for the Minister of State but I do not believe it is right that a person who enters into an arrangement with his or her creditors or is declared bankrupt should be deemed ineligible to sit on this particular board or any other board. The Minister of State gave the usual answer that this is a normal provision. Why is it a normal provision? It should not be. It was previously a normal provision that a person could not stand for election to either House of the Oireachtas or the European Parliament. However, when that provision was challenged by a citizen, it was deemed to be unconstitutional. I put it to the Minister of State that it is unconstitutional to include that provision in this Bill. I ask that he reconsider it before final passage of this Bill through the House. We have moved on. We are in different circumstances now. This country was hit by a financial tsunami, leaving many people who would not normally find themselves in financial difficulty having to come to arrangements with their creditors, including sports people, managers, business and ordinary people. We all know them; they are household names in this country. Their expertise would be ideally suited to membership of this particular board, if not the post of chief executive officer. The people concerned are being prevented by way of a provision in this legislation, comprising two sentences, from applying for board membership of Sport Ireland, which in my opinion is unconstitutional. I ask that the Minister of State reconsider this before progressing any further with this legislation.