Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support the Minister on this sensitive issue. Precedence has been set in other statutory bodies and I shall give the Irish Sports Council, which is now Sport Ireland, as an example. Section 18(9) states, "The chief executive officer shall not question or express an opinion on the merits of any policy of the Government or a Minister of the Government or on the merits of the objectives of such a policy." In my opinion, the chief executive has been employed to run the business and to make the National Concert Hall commercially viable. I also believe the chief executive should remain neutral.We do not know what his or her political persuasion might be and if it were different to that of the Government and he or she did not necessarily agree with the policies laid down by it, there could be a misuse of the powers the chief executive has. I would like to support the Minister on this.