Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 8:

In page 10, lines 29 and 30, to delete "the Minister." and substitute the following:"the Oireachtas, following a public interview process of candidates conducted by the Oireachtas Select Committee on Health.".

I will take all the amendments together. To ensure that candidates are satisfactory, I am proposing that all board members are approved by the Oireachtas and that a public interview process be conducted by the Oireachtas Select Committee on Health. I do not believe it is appropriate for the Minister for Health to be allowed to appoint members to the board. These appointments should be transparent. Members of the board of the national children's hospital need to be appointed in a transparent manner and questioned on behalf of the public by the Oireachtas.

It should not be forgotten that in the not too distant past, Ministers have appointed to boards people who were unsuitable to be members of those boards. Amending the Bill in this manner would protect against the role of the Minister being used in a way in which it should not be used. Recently, a former Deputy and Minister of State was appointed to the board of Horse Sport Ireland by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. It was stated that this person has a lifelong interest in horses, which is fair enough, but despite my research I could not find any practical or professional experience that the person had in this area. I have been a lifelong supporter of the Dublin senior football team but that does not mean I qualify for selection to play for the team. To be eligible for appointment to a particular board, people should have practical and professional experience in the area, which is what these amendments seek to achieve. If people have a problem with that, then I assume they have a problem with transparency and accountability.

Amendment No. 13 deals with patient advocacy but I understand it has been disallowed.