Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

That is a high-risk strategy in terms of capture and it is what is wrong with a lot of Irish public administration, namely, that independent agencies are captured by their parent bodies. If this is done in-house and it is reliant on the EPA's secretarial and administrative systems, the council will not have the independence we would like to see. Modern public administration should be addressing that danger, but perhaps capture is the goal. The Minister of State has said there is nothing cynical or sinister about it, but it may be that it ensures the advisory council will never be an independent body like the IFAC. As I said, it is a high-risk strategy. I do not know how much money was at stake, but I would prefer if we had the independence which is so badly needed in this area. Given my earlier point about the composition of the board and the Minister of State's unwillingness to accept our proposal to involve outside bodies, the latter may not have very much confidence in the council which will effectively be a minor part of an existing body. I will not press the amendment, but the provision does have serious implications for governance.