Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister cannot just keep hiding in the bushes of obscurity on this issue. What kind of money will be given to the people appointed to the commission? If they are to be paid €30,000 or €40,000, it will attract one kind of person and if they are to be paid €9,000, like the members of some semi-State boards, it will attract another kind. There is no doubt, however, that they will end up being rubber stamps, especially if they are confronted by so-called experts giving them assessments of people in writing to "assist" them in the process of selecting candidates. It goes to the heart of the effectiveness of the commission that we should understand the level of engagement that will be required of a commissioner, the remuneration to be given to a commissione, and the amount of a person's time that will be spent as a commissioner. It is not going to be like some idle local authority committee which may meet once a month or less and which looks at a few reports and files. It should not just state KPMG personnel think Senator David Norris is a good candidate but that they have come to the view that Senator Lynn Ruane is an even better candidate-----