Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

For the one or two councillors watching proceedings, their virtues are being extolled in the Upper House. It is ordinarily the case that they are excluded from appointment to any board prescribed in legislation for the same reasons as the rest of us are excluded. They are democratically-elected officials who have a mandate, the same as those covered by section 49(a) and (b), namely, Members appointed to Seanad Éireann and those elected to either House of the Oireachtas or the European Parliament. We could extend the very same rationale to Members of the Oireachtas and the European Parliament as have been extended to members of local authorities. I served as a member of a local authority and held down a job at the same time. There are people in the House who would make brilliant members of the governance board, there are members of the Lower House who would make brilliant members and there are members of the European Parliament who would make fine members. However, can Senators imagine trying to get public buy-in regarding the fact that we will have a data-sharing and governance board which will supposedly supervise the agreements put in place between public bodies and which will be stuffed with politicians? People would be erecting a gallows outside on the plinth for me. The Senator will understand that, reluctantly, I cannot accept the amendment.